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| This is what gave it away in the newsroom |
It's one thing when Superman poses as Clark Kent, a mild mannered reporter for the Daily Planet, but it's another thing when an FBI agent poses as a reporter for the Associated Press. But that's exactly what an FBI agent did and the bureau was sued over it.
The Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press [obviously a Democrat-run organization] will receive a $145,000 settlement after two lawsuits were filed following an FBI agent posing as a reporter for the AP and even created a fake news story.
That wasn't the agent's responsibility, that lies with the real reporters in the legacy media.
These Freedom of Information Act cases (FOIA) led to appeals court decisions that will increase access to public records, according to Adam Marshall, a lawyer for the group. The two cases also exposes FBI agents posing as members of the media, which further undermines media credibility and blurs the line between the press and law enforcement. It's bad enough the lines are blurred between the press and the Democratic Party, but this is going too far.
The FBI failed to follow its own rules over such undercover operations when an agent posed as an AP reporter and sent a link to a fake story in an investigation in Washington state in 2007, according to documents uncovered in the lawsuit filed along with the AP
Then-FBI Director and idos of all scumbags James "Lordy" Comey called the technique “proper and appropriate” under FBI guidelines at the time. But he said that it would require higher-level approvals once the incident was uncovered in 2014. Comey said that no actual fake news story was published and the ploy led to an arrest. [Not his, but maybe later.]
The FBI failed to follow its own rules over such undercover operations when an agent posed as an AP reporter and sent a link to a fake story in an investigation in Washington state in 2007, according to documents uncovered in the lawsuit filed along with the AP
Then-FBI Director and idos of all scumbags James "Lordy" Comey called the technique “proper and appropriate” under FBI guidelines at the time. But he said that it would require higher-level approvals once the incident was uncovered in 2014. Comey said that no actual fake news story was published and the ploy led to an arrest. [Not his, but maybe later.]
The agent posing as an AP reporter sent a link to the fake article to a 15-year-old suspected of making bomb threats at a high school. When the teen clicked the link, a tracking tool revealed his computer’s location and helped agents confirm his identity.
The FBI declined to comment Friday, as is their wont.
Kathleen Carroll, then-Executive Editor of the AP, said in 2014 that the FBI’s “unacceptable tactics undermine AP and the vital distinction between the government and the press.” A letter signed by two dozen news organizations called the revelations “inexcusable” and the Reporter’s Committee specifically called out the use of the AP’s name as “cover for delivery of electronic surveillance software.”
The FBI declined to comment Friday, as is their wont.
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| James Comey today |
Kathleen Carroll, then-Executive Editor of the AP, said in 2014 that the FBI’s “unacceptable tactics undermine AP and the vital distinction between the government and the press.” A letter signed by two dozen news organizations called the revelations “inexcusable” and the Reporter’s Committee specifically called out the use of the AP’s name as “cover for delivery of electronic surveillance software.”
Still James Comey continued to roam free and was never put on trial.
Lauren Easton, an Associated Press spokeswoman, declined additional comment Friday, which is very uncharacteristic of her as she likes to talk, or "spokes," as it were.
The lawsuits were filed as part of an effort to get records about FBI news-media impersonations, and eventually resulted in important court decisions about how far agencies must go in searching for requested documents and the standards they must meet in order to withhold documents, Marshall said. The settlement will cover attorney’s fees and costs and the money will come out of the pockets of taxpayers, as usual.
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The lawsuits were filed as part of an effort to get records about FBI news-media impersonations, and eventually resulted in important court decisions about how far agencies must go in searching for requested documents and the standards they must meet in order to withhold documents, Marshall said. The settlement will cover attorney’s fees and costs and the money will come out of the pockets of taxpayers, as usual.
“This has shown that there are significant, concerning and ongoing issues with respect to federal law enforcement impersonation of the press in the United States,” Marshall said. The cases have also “shown that the Reporters Committee and The Associated Press were committed to finding out as much as we could about what happened here for the public to know.”
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