Armed agents seize records of reporter from Washington Times, lawsuit inbound
4 replies, posted
[url]http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2013/oct/25/armed-agents-seize-records-reporter-washington-tim/?page=all#pagebreak[/url]
[QUOTE]Maryland state police and federal agents used a search warrant in an unrelated criminal investigation to seize the private reporting files of an award-winning former investigative journalist for The Washington Times who had exposed problems in the Homeland Security Department's Federal Air Marshal Service.[/QUOTE]
[QUOTE]The Washington Times said Friday it is preparing legal action to fight what it called an unwarranted intrusion on the First Amendment.[/QUOTE]
[QUOTE]Reporter Audrey Hudson said the investigators, who included an agent for Homeland's Coast Guard service, took her private notes and government documents that she had obtained under the Freedom of Information Act during a predawn raid of her family home on Aug. 6.[/QUOTE]
[QUOTE]The documents, some which chronicled her sources and her work at the Times about problems inside the Homeland Security Department, were seized under a warrant to search for unregistered firearms and a “potato gun” suspected of belonging to her husband, Paul Flanagan, a Coast Guard employee. Mr. Flanagan has not been charged with any wrongdoing since the raid.[/QUOTE]
[QUOTE]The warrant, obtained by the Times, offered no specific permission to seize reporting notes or files.[/QUOTE]
[QUOTE]The U.S. Coast Guard confirmed it seized and reviewed Ms. Hudson’s documents but insisted it did nothing wrong.[/QUOTE]
[QUOTE]“I swear to God, we’re not smuggling machine gun parts from Sweden,” said Mrs. Hudson, adding that the potato launcher in question “didn’t even work.”
Mrs. Hudson has been a reporter in Washington, D.C. for nearly 15 years, and covered Homeland Security for the Times after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks through December 2009.
Her investigations have sparked numerous congressional investigations that led to laws signed by former Presidents George W. Bush and Bill Clinton. She has won numerous journalism awards for her investigations, including the prestigious Sigma Delta Chi bronze medal for public service, the Society of Professional Journalists Dateline Award in Investigative Reporting, and was nominated twice by The Times for the Pulitzer Prize.
“Protecting confidential sources is a part of my honor and hits me at my ethical core,” said Mrs. Hudson. “To have someone steal my source information and know it could impact people’s careers, is disgusting, a massive overreach. This kind of conduct is intimidation clearly aimed at silencing a vigorous press.”[/QUOTE]
Seizing evidence for unrelated crimes can be legal if it's in plain sight during a legally authorized search, like if police serving a warrant to search for drugs come across illegal firearms, but nothing here suggests that that justification is even remotely valid. I can't see how they'll lose this court case.
[QUOTE=catbarf;42654960]Seizing evidence for unrelated crimes can be legal if it's in plain sight during a legally authorized search, like if police serving a warrant to search for drugs come across illegal firearms, but nothing here suggests that that justification is even remotely valid. I can't see how they'll lose this court case.[/QUOTE]
Yeah unless they just say "no this is totally constitutional now, don't believe me? ask the supreme court."
Some days I wish the supreme court was issued the power to punish clear and intentional violations of the constitution.
[quote]The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and[B] particularly describing[/B] the [B]place [/B]to be searched, and the persons or [B]things to be seized[/B][/quote]
I'm sorry fourth amendment, I know you get violated repeatedly. If only you weren't so vaguely written and instead were very clear on- OH WAIT YOU ARE FUCKING CLEAR AS NIGHT AND DAY AND NOT VAGUE IN THE SLIGHTEST.
To be fair, those Swedish potato guns can leave a mark.
Society must be protected.
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