White House: 'No knowledge' of AP phone record seizure

The Hill ^ | May 13, 2013 | Justin Sink

[jazusamo]

The White House on Monday distanced President Obama from the Department of Justice’s seizure of Associated Press telephone records.

“Other than press reports, we have no knowledge of any attempt by the Justice Department to seek phone records of the AP,” White House press secretary Jay Carney said in a statement.

Carney said the White House had no involvement in the Justice effort.

“We are not involved in decisions made in connection with criminal investigations, as those matters are handled independently by the Justice Department,” he said.

The Justice Department said in a letter to the AP on Friday that it had gathered records on at least 20 office, cell phone, and home phone numbers — including the AP's desk in the House of Representatives press gallery.

The AP believes the records seizure was related to a leak investigation regarding a 2012 story about the CIA foiling a bomb plot in Yemen. The Obama administration has aggressively investigated the disclosure of classified anti-terror information in recent years, subpoenaing journalists from the New York Times and Washington Post.

In a letter of protest sent to Attorney General Eric Holder on Monday, AP President Gary Pruitt said there could be “no possible justification for such an overbroad collection of the telephone communications.”

“These records potentially reveal communications with confidential sources across all of the newsgathering activities undertaken by the AP during a two-month period, provide a road map to AP's newsgathering operations and disclose information about AP's activities and operations that the government has no conceivable right to know,” Pruitt said.

In a statement, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia said it was “always careful and deliberate” in deciding to target media organizations.

News of Justice seizing the records comes as the administration is already dealing with accusations the IRS abused its power by targeting conservative groups for tax audits.

The administration is also under attack for its handling of the Benghazi attack.

Read more: http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/299479-white-house-no-knowledge-of-ap-phone-record-seizure#ixzz2TDxZV3WK Follow us: @thehill on Twitter | TheHill on Facebook

[GOPJ]

First they came for people in the Tea Party,
and I didn’t speak out because I wasn’t in a Tea Party.

Then they came for people who used words like ‘constitution’ and ‘patriot’,
and I didn’t speak out because those words didn’t matter to me.

Then they came for conservative Jews and evangelical Christians
and I didn’t speak out because I was too cool to be a believer...

Then they came for the AP and members of the press,
and there was no one left to speak for us.

[jazusamo]

You’re both dead on the mark and his treasonous acts are getting more blatant by the day.

[Gene Eric]

Implausible deniability.

[machogirl]

hmmmmm, this was in October for the no contract phones

[RedMonqey]

"My wife wears a cloth coat and we're keeping the dog. But the strawberries. That's where I had them..."

Which were traded to the Iranians who then gave them to Contras , flown to them in a U-2 spy plane flown by George H.W. Bush that is hidden in an invisible hanger at Area 54 under secret orders from Franklin Delano Roooooo-seeee-velt ( Achie Bunker imitation)which explains the 18 minute gap....

[bgill]

Deny, deny, deny. The WH never knows about anything.

[Repeal 16-17]

I think the Liberal Media are finally starting to understand that the Liberal Messiah is not their friend. He simply sees them as Useful Idiots.

[Political Junkie Too]

Obama had no knowledge of Rod Blagojevich selling Obama's Senate seat, either.

Obama's lies go all the way back to then.

We let it go because he was "historic". Now he's becoming historic for other reasons.

-PJ

[RedMonqey]

“the smartest Man to ever be President”

Actually that was a misprint.

It's suppose to be "the most smart ASS man ever to be president

Damn Spellcheck

[machogirl]

haha

[GOPJ]

I think the Liberal Media are finally starting to understand that the Liberal Messiah is not their friend. He simply sees them as Useful Idiots.

What's happened is the more intelligent members of the press now have a smidgen of doubt... it'll be a while before they realize they've been used - and used badly.

[jazusamo]

It would be very historic if Obama would be the first impeached and convicted president in history, he is truly deserving of it.

[SandRat]

Carney

[Brown Deer]

The White House has no knowledge whatsoever.

They don't seem to know much about anything that they are responsible for, do they?

[cookcounty]

What, exactly, does this White House know other than basketball tournament brackets and golf tee times? An administration of morons.

[RedMonqey]

:—”)

[cookcounty]

"Rules published by the Justice Department require that subpoenas of records of news organizations must be personally approved by the attorney general"

But there were no subpoenas....they just took them.

[willibeaux]

BUUUUULLSH!T

[St_Thomas_Aquinas]

But Obama said that this is wrong, it won’t be tolerated, and that he won’t rest until he gets to the bottom of this.

[longtermmemmory]

“I did not have sex with that woman, monica lewinsky.”

“...what difference does it make?”

“GWBush’s fault..”

The MSM is beyond contemptable.