WASHINGTON – The Trump administration secretly obtained the phone records of reporters from the Washington Post who were writing about the allegations of Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election, the U.S. newspaper reported Friday. The United States Department of Justice sent a letter to reporters Ellen Nakashima e Greg Miller, as well as the former reporter Adam Entous, saying they had received their personal and business phone records “for the period from 15 April 2017 to 31 July 2017”, reported the Washington Post.
The newspaper was “deeply troubled by this use of government power to gain access to journalists’ communications,” the editor said. Cameron Barr. “The Department of Justice must immediately investigate why he interfered in the activities of journalists, who are protected by the First Amendment” of the United States Constitution.
The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) claims the Justice Department “spied” journalists “at the whim of a government.” “This should never have happened,” the ACLU tweeted. “When the government spies on journalists and their sources, it compromises the freedom of the press.”
The Justice Department, meanwhile, said it followed “established procedures” regarding the request, the newspaper said, citing a spokesperson for the department. Letters sent to reporters did not specify why the documents were seized. But at the end of that period, the three reporters wrote a story on American intelligence that suggested that Jeff Sessions, who later became Attorney General under Donald Trump, had discussed the Trump campaign with the Russian ambassador. Moscow has been accused of subtly backing Donald Trump’s candidacy in 2016 in an effort to help him win.
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