Trump's AG Warns Reporters to Expect Subpoenas in Criminal Leak Investigations

"Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche warned reporters to expect subpoenas on Tuesday, one day after The Wall Street Journal reported that it had been subpoenaed in connection with criminal investigations launched by the Department of Justice. President [Donald] Trump privately complained to acting Attorney General Todd Blanche about media leaks in the wake of the Iran war last month, according to administration officials familiar with the matter, prompting an aggressive push at the Justice Department to pursue those investigations, reported the Journal."

"Blanche vowed to secure subpoenas specifically targeting the records of reporters who have worked on sensitive national security stories, one official said. In one meeting, Trump passed a stack of news articles he and other senior officials thought threatened national security to Blanche with a sticky note on it that said treason,' another administration official said. Senior Justice Department officials have met with counterparts from the Pentagon to discuss the investigations, according to officials familiar with the meetings."

"The Wall Street Journal received grand jury subpoenas dated March 4 for records of Journal reporters, revealed the center-right newspaper. The request related to a Feb. 23 article that reported that Gen. Dan Caine, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and others at the Pentagon warned the president about the risks of an extended military campaign against Iran. Other news outlets, including Axios and the Washington Post, published similar stories that day. Trump launched the war five days later, on Feb. 28."

"A DOJ spokeswoman commented on the matter by asserting that In all circumstances, the Department of Justice follows the facts and applies the law to identify those committing crimes against the United States. On Tuesday, though, Blanche all but confirmed the Journals reporting with a tweet that read: To the media asking about DOJ investigating the"

Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche warned reporters to expect subpoenas following reports that the Wall Street Journal had been subpoenaed in connection with DOJ criminal investigations. President Donald Trump privately complained to Blanche about media leaks after the Iran war last month, prompting an aggressive DOJ push to pursue investigations. Blanche vowed to seek subpoenas targeting records of reporters who worked on sensitive national security stories, and senior officials met with Pentagon counterparts about the investigations. The Wall Street Journal received grand jury subpoenas dated March 4 for records of its reporters related to a Feb. 23 story about Pentagon warnings to the president regarding an extended campaign against Iran. Trump launched the war on Feb. 28. A DOJ spokeswoman said the department follows facts and applies the law, while Blanche’s tweet appeared to confirm the reporting.

Read at www.mediaite.com