After Attorney General Jeff Sessions lambasted leakers and journalists last week, Rod Rosenstein, his deputy, said the Trump administration did not intend to target reporters in investigating leaks. Sessions warned in his Friday remarks that reporters could not expect “unlimited” leeway in receiving leaked information, but Rosenstein said they were concentrating on leakers who committed the crimes. (The New York Times, August 6, 2017, by Noah Weiland)
Rosenstein left the door open to the possibility that publication of leaks could be a crime. While the Supreme Court has made it clear that publication of the truth lawfully acquired was protected, the Justice Department can do much to attack journalists through forcing them to testify before grand juries and the courts. (Just Security, August 7, 2017, by William E. Lee)
Update: The Justice Department agreed to meet with the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press to discuss its proposed changes to guidelines on issuing subpoenas to reporters. (The Hill, August 8, 2017 by Olivia Beavers)