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The Justice Department secretly obtained phone records from two members of Congress and 43 staffers during sweeping investigations of leaks during President-elect Donald Trump's first term, according to a new report.
On Tuesday (December 10), a new report released from the Justice Department's inspector general detailed how the DOJ tried to find out who was releasing classified information to reporters during Trump's term, per CNN.
According to the report, DOJ investigators issued a broad sweep based on who may have access to the classified information that was leaked. The inspector general said seeking records based only on "the close proximity in time between access to classified information and subsequent publication of the information… risks chilling Congress’s ability to conduct oversight of the executive branch."
Such a move “exposes congressional officials to having their records reviewed by the Department solely for conducting Congress’ constitutional authorized oversight duties and creating, at a minimum, the appearance of inappropriate interference by the executive branch in legitimate oversight activity by the legislative branch,” the inspector general added.
The inspector general didn't recommend charges against anyone and didn't determine that prosecutors assigned to leak investigations were motivated by politics.
Prosecutors also obtained records, including emails, from journalists at CNN, The Washington Post, and The New York Times, according to the report.
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