Trump administration goes on attack against leakers, journalists

[rooster59]

Trump administration goes on attack against leakers, journalists

By Julia Edwards Ainsley

 

U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions speaks at a briefing on leaks of classified material threatening national security at the Justice Department in Washington, U.S., August 4, 2017. REUTERS/Yuri Gripas

 

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions, taking up an issue that has infuriated Republican President Donald Trump, went on the attack against leaks on Friday, warning of a possible crackdown both on reporters and their sources inside the federal government.

 

In a move derided by critics as an attack on the free press, Sessions said the administration was reviewing policies on forcing journalists to reveal their sources.

 

It is, however, difficult to prosecute members of the news media in the United States for publishing leaked information.

 

Sessions also told the employees of government agencies to stop leaking and called the issue a matter of national security.

 

Trump has repeatedly voiced anger over a steady stream of leaks to the media about him and his administration since he took office in January.

 

Some have been related to probes into Russian meddling in the 2016 U.S. presidential election; others have concerned infighting in the White House.

 

"One of the things we are doing is reviewing policies affecting media subpoenas," Sessions told reporters as he announced administration efforts to battle what he called a "staggering number of leaks undermining the ability of our government to protect this country."

 

"We respect the important role that the press plays and will give them respect, but it is not unlimited," the nation's top law official said.

 

His boss, Trump, has repeatedly criticized news outlets and their work as "fake news," and administration officials have criticized the use of anonymous sources, a standard journalistic practice.

 

A media subpoena is a writ compelling a journalist to testify or produce evidence, with a penalty for failure to do so.

 

The fact that the administration is reviewing its policy leaves open the possibility of sentencing journalists for not disclosing their sources.

 

“Every American should be concerned about the Trump administration’s threat to step up its efforts against whistleblowers and journalists," said Ben Wizner of the American Civil Liberties Union. "A crackdown on leaks is a crackdown on the free press and on democracy as a whole."

 

Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein told reporters the department was just starting to review the policy on media subpoenas and could not say yet how it might be changed. But he did not rule out the possibility of threatening journalists with jail time.

 

REPORTERS PROTECTED

 

Historically, government employees or contractors who give sensitive information to the media are much more likely to be prosecuted than the reporters who receive it.

 

U.S. regulations give journalists special protections, barring them from law enforcement that might "reasonably impair newsgathering activities."

 

Federal prosecutors must get special permission from the U.S. attorney general before issuing a subpoena to try to force a member of the news media to divulge information to authorities. New York Times reporter Judith Miller was jailed in 2005 for refusing to reveal a source about stories on Iraq, but she cut a deal with prosecutors before she was formally charged.

 

In addressing the wider issue of leaks, Sessions said the Justice Department has tripled the number of investigations into unauthorised leaks of classified information and that four people have already been charged.

 

"We are taking a stand," said Sessions, who in recent weeks has been publicly criticized by Trump for his performance in the job, including for what Trump called his weakness on the issue of going after leakers. "This culture of leaking must stop," Sessions said.

 

It is not illegal to leak information, as such, but divulging classified information is against the law.

 

Some of the more high-profile leaks in the Trump administration have revealed White House infighting in articles that would appear not to involve divulging classified information.

 

Sessions did not immediately give the identities of the four people charged, but said they had been accused of unlawfully disclosing classified information or concealing contacts with foreign intelligence officers.

 

Rosenstein did not give the exact number of leak investigations the Justice Department is currently handling, only that this number has tripled under the Trump administration.

 

In the latest major leak to the media, the Washington Post published transcripts on Thursday of contentious phone calls that Trump had in the early days of his administration with Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto and Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull.

 

"No government can be effective when its leaders cannot discuss sensitive matters in confidence or to talk freely in confidence with foreign leaders," Sessions said of that case.

 

One tool Sessions has for prosecuting leakers is the Espionage Act, a World War One-era law that was designed to stop leaks to America's enemies. Federal prosecutors have used it 12 times to charge individuals for disclosing information to the media, eight of them under Democratic former President Barack Obama.

 

The most recent case, and the first under Trump, was the Justice Department's indictment in June of Reality Leigh Winner, 25, a U.S. intelligence contractor accused of leaking a classified National Security Agency report about Russia’s alleged interference in the 2016 election.

 

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2017-08-05

[Credo]

It is absolutely amazing that during the campaign the leakers, including Russia, were heroes and there were calls for more.   

 

I wonder what changed?

 

 

[binjalin]

I don't like Trump but it IS outrageous that personal phone calls, with international leaders, of the President are copied and given to journalists. The security breach is appalling. Even Dem security experts on CNN are condemning it.

 

Find out who did it, fire them and jail them.

[tonray]

20 minutes ago, binjalin said:

I don't like Trump but it IS outrageous that personal phone calls, with international leaders, of the President are copied and given to journalists. The security breach is appalling. Even Dem security experts on CNN are condemning it.

 

Find out who did it, fire them and jail them.

I agree but the administration needs tso step up its game at providing quality information to the American public. So far, the lying has been constant, incessant, at times even unnecessary. When the lies stop then the leaks will stop. The 6 months has been a  freak show led by Trump. Start telling the truth and let Americans decide on whether you are working in our best interests or not.

 

So, yes prosecute the leakers but Congress also has to start punishing the liars. Start revoking security clearances for those who have proven to be deceitful, start holding people accountable, both leakers and liars.

 

 

 

[binjalin]

6 minutes ago, tonray said:

I agree but the administration needs tso step up its game at providing quality information to the American public. So far, the lying has been constant, incessant, at times even unnecessary. When the lies stop then the leaks will stop. The 6 months has been a  freak show led by Trump. Start telling the truth and let Americans decide on whether you are working in our best interests or not.

 

So, yes prosecute the leakers but Congress also has to start punishing the liars. Start revoking security clearances for those who have proven to be deceitful, start holding people accountable, both leakers and liars.

 

 

 

We know he's a megalomaniac that should be no where near the White House but he must have secure lines to other leaders it's unthinkable what could happen and staffers cannot, and should not, choose to leak. I assume they all signed the official secrets act and they must resign if their conscience plagues them.  My comments are not about Trump but about national security.

[tonray]

1 minute ago, binjalin said:

We know he's a megalomaniac that should be no where near the White House but he must have secure lines to other leaders it's unthinkable what could happen and staffers cannot, and should not, choose to leak. I assume they all signed the official secrets act and they must resign if their conscience plagues them.  My comments are not about Trump but about national security.

Mine also are about National Security. A staff that continually leaves out critical information in disclosure forms, continually lies to the press and public about what they really are doing. The whole admin is a mess of National Security traps, dealing with Russian spies, asking to use communications equipment in the Russian embassy to avoid NSA surveillance.....I sure hope Mueller finds some broken laws because if he doesn't this country is finished.

[darksidedog]

If the White House wasn't so full of incompetence, lies and infighting, there wouldn't be the need for anything to leak. What has come out has shown us what an absolute shambles the current administration is and I feel the public has every right to know about how badly things are going. Rather than worrying about stopping the leaking, how about stopping the incompetence.

[ilostmypassword]

31 minutes ago, binjalin said:

We know he's a megalomaniac that should be no where near the White House but he must have secure lines to other leaders it's unthinkable what could happen and staffers cannot, and should not, choose to leak. I assume they all signed the official secrets act and they must resign if their conscience plagues them.  My comments are not about Trump but about national security.

So the US revolution was a sham and US officials are subject to the terms of the Official Secrets Act?  Interesting.

[binjalin]

10 minutes ago, ilostmypassword said:

So the US revolution was a sham and US officials are subject to the terms of the Official Secrets Act?  Interesting.

Well a rose by any other name. You must have confidentiality agreements for staff even in ordinary companies so there must be a White House equivalent.

[boomerangutang]

It's a thinly veiled attempt to muzzle the press corps.  The press has been criticized by Trumpsters for using 'anonymous sources', yet it's a common and allowable practice, and is used very often by Trump himself.   Trump doesn't want truth to get out.  He probably told Sessions, 'If you want to keep your job as AG, stop the leaks, by whatever means.'   P.S.  The US Constitution guarantees a free press.   Trump, Sessions and all the other criminals in the Oval Office are doing all they can to close down the press corps.   Trump even advocates shutting down the NY Times and Washington Post "I hope they go out of business."  

 

From now on, whenever US diplomats suggest freer press corps in other countries, like China, Burma, Saudi Arabia, .......the diplomats on the other side will laugh in their faces.   "ha ha ha, look who telling us to have freedom of the press.   Uncle Sam, who is doing everything he can to shut down the press corps.  ha ha ha."

[Thakkar]

3 hours ago, rooster59 said:

administration officials have criticized the use of anonymous sources,

Trump prefers his own anonymous sources, Mr Everybody Says and Ms. Somepeople Say.

 

3 hours ago, rooster59 said:

This culture of leaking must stop," Sessions said.

He forgot to add "...now that we've won the election" because Trump's people were publicly encouraging, even celebrating Wikileaks during the campaign.

 

T

[iReason]

All a bunch of Mussolini-esque bluster.

True American patriots will continue to expose the serious lying and incompetence that infests the White House.

 

Now, as for a POTUS to publicly appeal to a hostile foreign adversary, Russia, to commit espionage on the American people, that is treasonous.

 

The fish stinks from the head down:

 

 

[Stargeezr]

Glad that the USA is getting serious about the leaks. Meanwhile in Canada

the Quebec born PM is happy that the FRENCH speaking Haitians are flooding into

Quebec to keep its French speaking population at more than 50 percent. After all Quebec

gets millions of dollars of transfer money from Have provinces like Alberta.

Geezer

[ilostmypassword]

2 minutes ago, Stargrazer9889 said:

Glad that the USA is getting serious about the leaks. Meanwhile in Canada

the Quebec born PM is happy that the FRENCH speaking Haitians are flooding into

Quebec to keep its French speaking population at more than 50 percent. After all Quebec

gets millions of dollars of transfer money from Have provinces like Alberta.

Geezer

Thanks for sharing your Canadian obsession with us. I'm sure you can explain what it has to do with this thread.

[Stargeezr]

You are most welcome. Canada does not have many stories in this Forum, but America

with Trump gets in the news every day.  Yes  so I tag a Canadian story onto the USA story

I am soo  sorry if  Americans get annoyed.  Far to many have guns.  Don't you know?

Geezer

[NanLaew]

Nixon attacked the media.

 

Didn't end well for him either.

 

But anyone hoping this FBI investigation will mean a quick exit for Trump need to reference the history of US presidential impeachment. Nixon apparently started his shenanigans in 1970 about a year after commencing his first term. The Watergate break-in was in 1972 and but before that, primarily by 'false news', they managed to spoil Edmund Muskie's presidential chances in the 1972 election, win by a landslide and thus hang on until 1974. That's about 4 years from inception to debacle.

 

If Trump or any of his family team commenced their Russian collusion, electoral destabilization and associated subterfuge in 2016, it will be 2019 at the earliest before Trumps souffle-like bouffant collapses... just in time for him to gracefully announce he will not be seeking re-election, citing personal, family-related issues, thus scuppering any legal pursuit of the ugly truth (which to be honest, the US citizen doesn't want to know about), avoid impeachment and thus any need to be pardoned by Pence.

 

If the FBI manages to prove that Flynn's summer 2015 meeting with Trump and subsequent foray in Moscow was the start of the whole 'nothing burger', then we could see the above scenario play out about 1 year sooner.

 

Edited August 5, 2017 by NanLaew

[iReason]

9 minutes ago, Stargrazer9889 said:

You are most welcome. Canada does not have many stories in this Forum, but America

with Trump gets in the news every day.  Yes  so I tag a Canadian story onto the USA story

I am soo  sorry if  Americans get annoyed.  Far to many have guns.  Don't you know?

 

Continuing your pointless off-topic crusade I see...

[NanLaew]

3 minutes ago, iReason said:

 

Continuing your pointless off-topic crusade I see...

Encouraging the pointless off-topic crusade I see...

[stevenl]

4 hours ago, binjalin said:

I don't like Trump but it IS outrageous that personal phone calls, with international leaders, of the President are copied and given to journalists. The security breach is appalling. Even Dem security experts on CNN are condemning it.

 

Find out who did it, fire them and jail them.

Trump lying about his conversation with Nieto and pretending Mexico will pay for the wall when Nieto has clearly said 'no' has no relevance at all on national security, only about Trump and his morals, telling the truth not being one of those.

[Krataiboy]

The real House of Cards is even more rotten to the core than the  televised fictional version.

[maewang99]

another one where English is helpful......

stuff like the Washington Post and CNN is called the "fourth estate"
and being that it's the USA.... aheemmmm..... 

there *****is***** a reason we use a word like "estate".....  

and the only way it can ever be considered "fake"....

is if your English ain't so great.... for a simple reason.







 

Edited August 5, 2017 by maewang99

[blazes]

The Snowden download showed that surveillance of virtually every single human being on the planet was the order of the day in Washington.   I still have not been able to comprehend how Obama's crew could manage to listen to Angela Merkel's private conversations on her cell phone.

[smotherb]

6 hours ago, Credo said:

It is absolutely amazing that during the campaign the leakers, including Russia, were heroes and there were calls for more.   

 

I wonder what changed?

 

 

maybe the leaks were not incriminating then--it seems to greatly depend upon who is the brunt of the leak

[ballpoint]

Something leaking is usually a sure sign that it's broken.

[Zack61]

7 hours ago, binjalin said:

I don't like Trump but it IS outrageous that personal phone calls, with international leaders, of the President are copied and given to journalists. The security breach is appalling. Even Dem security experts on CNN are condemning it.

 

Find out who did it, fire them and jail them.

.....or reassign them to inactive posting. 

[dunroaming]

There are leaks and the people usually do it to expose injustices.  It is up to the persons conscience and I am sure it isn't done lightly in most cases.  The anti Trump leaks are either a conspiracy to damage him () or they are genuinely highlighting the pathetic deceitful Trump administration.    

[Zack61]

I believe the number of leaks are inversely proportional to the trust people have in this administration. Expect it to escalate the longer this fake apprentice president is in office. 

[selftaopath]

8 hours ago, boomerangutang said:

It's a thinly veiled attempt to muzzle the press corps.  The press has been criticized by Trumpsters for using 'anonymous sources', yet it's a common and allowable practice, and is used very often by Trump himself.   Trump doesn't want truth to get out.  He probably told Sessions, 'If you want to keep your job as AG, stop the leaks, by whatever means.'   P.S.  The US Constitution guarantees a free press.   Trump, Sessions and all the other criminals in the Oval Office are doing all they can to close down the press corps.   Trump even advocates shutting down the NY Times and Washington Post "I hope they go out of business."  

 

From now on, whenever US diplomats suggest freer press corps in other countries, like China, Burma, Saudi Arabia, .......the diplomats on the other side will laugh in their faces.   "ha ha ha, look who telling us to have freedom of the press.   Uncle Sam, who is doing everything he can to shut down the press corps.  ha ha ha."

Agreed. Muting the press is a big step toward dictatorship. That is 45 and his regime's ultimate goal. He/they do not adhere to rule of law and show disdain for democracy. 

[dunroaming]

28 minutes ago, selftaopath said:

Agreed. Muting the press is a big step toward dictatorship. That is 45 and his regime's ultimate goal. He/they do not adhere to rule of law and show disdain for democracy. 

There was a time when gagging the press was not too difficult, at least when dealing with the home grown variety.  However with the internet people have access to the media everywhere and the world's media isn't going to back off the Trump Presidency.  Of course many of the Trumpsters make a point of not listening to or watching what the world is saying about their boy so they are oblivious to the reality.

[Foozool]

Losers ?