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Not Satire: WaPo's Surreal Report on Holder's Off-the-Record "Press Freedom" Meeting
Townhall.com ^ | May 31, 2013 | Guy Benson

Posted on 05/31/2013 2:33:53 PM PDT by jazusamo


Sean Higgins thinks this Washington Post " report " on Eric Holder's widely-boycotted confab with journalists is "beyond parody." Yeah, pretty much:

Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr. pledged Thursday to take concrete steps to address concerns that the Justice Department has overreached in its leak investigations and said officials would seek procedural and possibly legislative changes to protect journalists’ First Amendment rights. Holder’s commitment came at a private meeting with news executives after criticism that the Justice Department had infringed on the news media in several high-profile leak investigations. Participants said he told them officials would revise guidelines for issuing subpoenas to obtain reporters’ phone records. The 90-minute meeting was attended by a small group of journalists after several news organizations objected to the Justice Department’s insistence that it be held off the record. The participants, however, reached an agreement with the Justice Department under which they could describe what occurred during the meeting in general terms ...


Eric Holder pledged to take "concrete steps" to address the actions of Eric Holder -- up to and (possibly) including backing legislative action that would curtail Eric Holder's ability to abuse Eric Holder's power. What a guy. Direct quotes would be priceless here, but those weren't allowed, of course. Instead, the DOJ very magnanimously permitted reporters to offer "general" accounts of what was discussed. There's more:

Holder and aides “ completely endorsed the president’s statement that reporters should not be at legal risk for doing their job,” said Martin Baron, The Washington Post’s executive editor, who was among the participants. “They acknowledged the need for changes in their own guidelines and the need to have a more rigorous internal review.”


Reassuringly, Eric Holder has "completely endorsed" a principle that Eric Holder has already explicitly violated. How many times has Eric Holder done so? Eric Holder can't quite say . Click through to witness the pitiful spectacle of journalists quoting each other and vaguely discussing a meeting they've been barred from describing in any detail. Finally, for good measure:

A Justice Department spokeswoman declined to comment.


Perfect.


UPDATE
- Eric Holder has decided to "loosen" the rules regarding what attending journalists are allowed to report. The contents of today's meetings are "largely" permitted for publication, whatever that means.



TOPICS: Constitution/Conservatism; Crime/Corruption; Government; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: dojphonescandal; holder; holdersecretpresser; liar; pressfreedommeeting; wapo
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Hard to imagine.
1 posted on 05/31/2013 2:33:53 PM PDT by jazusamo
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To: jazusamo

[[Not Satire: WaPo’s Surreal Report on Holder’s Off-the-Record “Press Freedom” Meeting]]

A press freedom meeting where the press is NOT free to discuss what went on in the meeting- unreal-


2 posted on 05/31/2013 2:37:45 PM PDT by CottShop (Scientific belief does not constitute scientific evidence, nor does it convey scientific knowledge)
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To: MestaMachine

FYI


3 posted on 05/31/2013 2:38:46 PM PDT by jazusamo ("Mercy to the guilty is cruelty to the innocent." -- Adam Smith)
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To: CottShop

Imagine if Reagan pulled this : )


4 posted on 05/31/2013 2:39:06 PM PDT by stephenjohnbanker
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To: All


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5 posted on 05/31/2013 2:39:14 PM PDT by musicman (Until I see the REAL Long Form Vault BC, he's just "PRES__ENT" Obama = Without "ID")
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To: jazusamo
Holder and aides “ completely endorsed the president’s statement that reporters should not be at legal risk for doing their job,”

Key point here is semantics. Namely, what is the "job" of a reporter? Obama, Holder, and the Democrats believe job of the media is to advance the leftist agenda. What they are saying, in libspeak, is, "We won't punish you so long as you agree with us and make us look good."

Liberals use code words so that they mean the opposite of what theynappear to be saying.

6 posted on 05/31/2013 2:51:55 PM PDT by Thane_Banquo ( Walker 2016)
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To: jazusamo

“...officials would seek procedural and possibly legislative changes to protect journalists’ First Amendment rights.”

“Congress shall make no law...abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press...”

How do you craft a procedure or right a law any clearer than this???

Holder is a self-serving d-bag who - by his own words - reveals himself to be wholly unqualified to serve as he does.


7 posted on 05/31/2013 2:59:15 PM PDT by Stingray (Stand for the truth or you'll fall for anything.)
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To: basil

place keeper to read later.....


8 posted on 05/31/2013 3:02:09 PM PDT by basil (basil --Second Amendment Sisters.org)
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To: Stingray
Holder is a self-serving d-bag

agreed - his face practically oozes douchiness

9 posted on 05/31/2013 3:04:14 PM PDT by ghost of nixon
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To: jazusamo
>> Eric Holder pledged to take “concrete steps” <<

.
Let's give him some concrete shoes, and set him down at the bottom of Chesapeake bay to take some steps!

10 posted on 05/31/2013 3:04:52 PM PDT by editor-surveyor (Freepers: Not as smart as I'd hoped they'd be)
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To: Stingray
Holder is a self-serving d-bag who - by his own words - reveals himself to be wholly unqualified to serve as he does.

Precisely!

11 posted on 05/31/2013 3:05:04 PM PDT by jazusamo ("Mercy to the guilty is cruelty to the innocent." -- Adam Smith)
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To: jazusamo

Considering who attended, I am guessing it went like this:

“Geez, guys - we gotta come up with some crap the public will believe - anybody have any ideas?”


12 posted on 05/31/2013 3:06:11 PM PDT by Mr. K (There are lies, damned lies, statistics, and democrat talking points.)
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Comment #13 Removed by Moderator

To: All
Lets get this FReepathon done today, less than $300 to go.

Please bump the Freepathon or click above and donate or become a monthly donor!

14 posted on 05/31/2013 3:38:17 PM PDT by jazusamo ("Mercy to the guilty is cruelty to the innocent." -- Adam Smith)
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To: jazusamo
Let me see if I got this straight... "A meeting between journalists and the AGOTUS was held. The purpose of this meeting was to reaffirm that the Gub'ment would take steps to uphold the First Amendment (Freedom of the Press) and those journalists are now reporting that in that meeting they and the AGOTUS reached an agreement wherein the Journalists are only allowed to report the details of that meeting that the AGOTUS approved...?"

Well alrighty then...

15 posted on 05/31/2013 3:39:40 PM PDT by Mad Dawgg (If you're going to deny my 1st Amendment rights then I must proceed to the 2nd one...)
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To: Mad Dawgg
You got it right! Only in an Obama administration has this happened.
16 posted on 05/31/2013 3:42:02 PM PDT by jazusamo ("Mercy to the guilty is cruelty to the innocent." -- Adam Smith)
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To: sickoflibs; GOPJ; ken5050; Grampa Dave; thouworm; stephenjohnbanker; Venturer; TADSLOS; AuntB; ...
BACKSTORY Holder failed to get many media outlets to come in for an "off-the-record" chit-chat. So Valerie Jarrett told Holder to invite media reps — some of whom Holder had expressly targeted for surveillance under dubious national-security claims.

Cute.

Reassuringly, Eric Holder told the truncated media gathering, that he has "completely endorsed" a principle that Eric Holder has already explicitly violated. How many times has Eric Holder done so? Eric Holder can't quite say. Finally, for good measure: Jarrett ordered a Justice Department spokeswoman not to comment.

Figures.

THIS JUST IN Jarrett told Holder to "loosen" the rules regarding what attending journalists are allowed to report from the chit-chat. The contents are now "largely" permitted for publication, whatever that means.

===========================================

CONCLUSION---you just witnessed the diseased deranged minds of the (gag) WH progressives.

17 posted on 05/31/2013 3:49:22 PM PDT by Liz
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To: jazusamo

Holder is the real boss. If he goes anywhere, he’ll be replaced by a capo.


18 posted on 05/31/2013 3:54:55 PM PDT by Stentor
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To: jazusamo

Holder will strongly word a ‘stickey note’ to Holder ,himself ,advising him to allow (for now) freedom of the Press, until this all blows over.

The stickey note will demand a response... which Holder will then ignore !


19 posted on 05/31/2013 4:31:40 PM PDT by Tilted Irish Kilt ("Do not fear the enemy, for they can take only your life. Fear the media, for they will destroy you)
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To: Tilted Irish Kilt

after all , he knows that the LibTurd media have the memory of a gnat !


20 posted on 05/31/2013 4:32:55 PM PDT by Tilted Irish Kilt ("Do not fear the enemy, for they can take only your life. Fear the media, for they will destroy you)
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