You have commented 339 times on Rantburg.

Your Name
Your e-mail (optional)
Website (optional)
My Original Nic        Pic-a-Nic        Sorry. Comments have been closed on this article.
Bold Italic Underline Strike Bullet Blockquote Small Big Link Squish Foto Photo
Home Front: Politix
ABCNews Freaks: Federal Source to ABC News: We Know Who You're Calling
2006-05-15
A senior federal law enforcement official tells ABC News the government is tracking the phone numbers we call in an effort to root out confidential sources.

"It's time for you to get some new cell phones, quick," the source told us in an in-person conversation.

ABC News does not know how the government determined who we are calling, or whether our phone records were provided to the government as part of the recently-disclosed NSA collection of domestic phone calls.

Other sources have told us that phone calls and contacts by reporters for ABC News, along with the New York Times and the Washington Post, are being examined as part of a widespread CIA leak investigation.

One former official was asked to sign a document stating he was not a confidential source for New York Times reporter James Risen.

Our reports on the CIA's secret prisons in Romania and Poland were known to have upset CIA officials.

People questioned by the FBI about leaks of intelligence information say the CIA was also disturbed by ABC News reports that revealed the use of CIA predator missiles inside Pakistan.

Under Bush Administration guidelines, it is not considered illegal for the government to keep track of numbers dialed by phone customers.

The official who warned ABC News said there was no indication our phones were being tapped so the content of the conversation could be recorded.

A pattern of phone calls from a reporter, however, could provide valuable clues for leak investigators.

Posted by:Captain America

#20  "Plug" the leakers and the leaks will stop. Jail or a bullet. OED.
Posted by: SPoD   2006-05-15 19:40  

#19  Mark Levin had a great line on his blog at NRO -- "what if the press spent as much time digging up our enemy's secrets as they do digging up our own?"
Posted by: Robert Crawford   2006-05-15 19:03  

#18  "Federal Source to ABC News: We Know Who You're Calling"

Good! Hang 'em high.

Starting with that "federal source."

This has nothing to do with "freedom of the press." They're all breaking the law - put them under the jail.
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut   2006-05-15 18:42  

#17  If the MSM spent half as much time attacking or reporting leaks of the enemy, the WOT would be long finished. But then they would be accused of taking sides and we donÂ’t want that.
Posted by: Cyber Sarge   2006-05-15 18:20  

#16  Mmmm.... tastey. Did you put some whiskey in the water?
Posted by: Mike N.   2006-05-15 17:17  

#15  Whoooooooooooosh!
Here mike n. take a hit, ima finally find my bong.
Posted by: Halfempty   2006-05-15 16:29  

#14  Sounds like they are afraid all those calls to the Iranian Embassy to receive direction and instructions might come to light....
Posted by: CrazyFool   2006-05-15 15:22  

#13  And all this time I thought information wanted to be free.

I guess the cellphone billing records wanted to be free too.
Posted by: Phil   2006-05-15 15:06  

#12  Dude, sounds like you live in Hitler country. I wouldn't want to live there, no way, man. I wanna live where I'm free, and where all the cell minutes are free too.
Posted by: Seafarious   2006-05-15 15:00  

#11  In my country we have this thing called "Caller ID". We can tell who is calling before answering the phone. That information can also be logged by the telephone switch, which is what we do at our 911 center.

I obviously live in a different country than ABC news.
Posted by: Chuck Simmins   2006-05-15 13:57  

#10   Dave's not here, man.
Posted by: Mike N.   2006-05-15 13:45  

#9  Dave?
Posted by: Glaper Thaimp4891   2006-05-15 13:43  

#8  "Hello?"

"Hey, man, it's me! Listen - DON"T ANSWER THE PHONE, even if it's me calling, ok?"

"What?"
-- Cheech & Chong
Posted by: mojo   2006-05-15 13:39  

#7  Just because I'm traitorousparanoid doesn't mean they're not out to get me.
Posted by: Xbalanke   2006-05-15 13:30  

#6  Presumably the quoted sources plan to find new, non-governmental jobs in the near future. Perhaps as former goverment experts who can be interviewed on-air about how they can't say anything because they signed confidentiality agreements before they left.

However, changing cell phone carriers isn't going to hide who the reporters talked to in the past. It'll just reveal who thinks he is about to be revealed for inappropriate behaviour. How clever -- make the FBI's job easier. The absolute definition of, "So sharp, if he were a knife he'd cut himself!"
Posted by: trailing wife   2006-05-15 12:50  

#5  Gee, darn. We might loose some Islam propaganists Journalists.
Posted by: DarthVader   2006-05-15 12:35  

#4  It's all about meeeeee!

/MSM poseurs
Posted by: Snineck Hupavins3435   2006-05-15 12:13  

#3  Booo! who?
Posted by: Captain America   2006-05-15 12:08  

#2  ABC News does not know how the government determined who we are calling, or whether our phone records were provided to the government as part of the recently-disclosed NSA collection of domestic phone calls.

*sigh*

Other sources have told us that phone calls and contacts by reporters for ABC News, along with the New York Times and the Washington Post, are being examined as part of a widespread CIA leak investigation.

In other words, they were obtained as part of a criminal investigation, with a warrant. But the press has to try to connect the two stories and paint themselves as the free-speech martyrs to the Bushreich.

Under Bush Administration guidelines, it is not considered illegal for the government to keep track of numbers dialed by phone customers.

Actually, it was the Supreme Court that came to that conclusion.

Goddamn, I hate the press.
Posted by: Rob Crawford   2006-05-15 12:06  

#1  That's what happens when the journalism schools scold their students for taking real science courses instead of "Science for Journalism".
No understanding of how anything really works!

That included MIZZOU and as a dad you know who you lectured - pond scum. An A+ in genetic engr beats your Science for Journalism any day of the fricking week -- morons!
Posted by: 3dc   2006-05-15 12:04  

00:00