The Attkisson lawsuit claims that in March 2011, Defendants Shawn Henry, Shaun Bridges, Robert Clarke, and Ryan White, all of whom were government employees connected to a special multi-agency federal government task force based in Baltimore, Maryland, were ordered by Defendant Rosenstein to conduct home computer surveillance on Attkisson and other U.S. citizens.
Shawn Henry was head of the FBI’s Washington Field Office. In 2012, Henry left the FBI and now is president of CrowdStrike Services, a company that seeks to mitigate targeted online attacks on corporate and government networks globally.
Shaun Bridges was as a Special Agent with the U.S. Secret Service for approximately six years, operating out of the Baltimore Field Office. Between 2012 and 2014, he was assigned to the Baltimore Silk Road Task Force, a multi-agency group investigating illegal activity on the Silk Road, a covert online marketplace for illicit goods, including drugs. In 2015 and 2017, Bridges was convicted of corruption related to his government work, and is now serving a prison sentence.
At the time Attkisson was targeted by the illegal surveillance, she was a CBS News investigative correspondent who was uncovering news about the Department of Justice’s “gun walking” operation known as Fast and Furious. Attkisson’s reporting of the case ultimately was recognized with an Edward R. Murrow award and an Emmy Award for investigative reporting.
Unauthorized, remote surveillance of Attkisson continued throughout her subsequent reporting on the Islamic extremist attacks on Americans in Benghazi, Libya on Sept. 11, 2012. That reporting was recognized with an investigative Emmy nomination. CBS News first confirmed the illegal computer intrusions in August 2013.
In another development, a former FBI Unit Chief has signed a sworn Affidavit confirming that forensics prove U.S. government software was used in illegal surveillance on Attkisson and her family.
Leslie Szwajkowski, an attorney, headed up the FBI’s Electronic Surveillance Technology Section. He says that a colleague asked him for help in examining Attkisson’s computer in late 2012. Szwajkowski says a forensics exam conducted by a technician with expertise in government surveillance tools confirmed that spyware proprietary to a federal agency was found in Attkisson’s computer. Szwajkowski says he and his colleagues were “shocked” and “outraged” to learn the government was spying on a journalist.
Szwajkowski said the remote intruders had “full access” to Attkisson’s computer, files, photographs and internet activities. The surveillance allegedly included a keystroke monitoring program, exfiltration of Attkisson’s files, and listening in on her audio through Skype.
Butterdezillion, please pick up the white courtesy telephone,
Butterdezillion, please pick up the white courtesy telephone.
Something that could only be done with the direct knowledge and consent of the president.
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