Daily Caller: Intelligence officials can selectively release classified information to trusted journalists while withholding the same information from other citizens who request it through open records laws, CIA lawyers argued Wednesday.
In a motion filed in New York federal court, the CIA claimed that limited disclosures to reporters do not waive national security exemptions to Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests. Intelligence and law enforcement agencies frequently deny records requests on the basis of protecting sensitive national security information, one of nine exemptions written into the federal FOIA law.
The case stems from lawsuit against the CIA by New York-based independent journalist Adam Johnson, who had used FOIA to obtain emails between the agency’s public information office and selected reporters from the Wall Street Journal, the Washington Post and The New York Times. The emails the CIA provided to Johnson were redacted, leading him to question why he was not allowed to see the same information that had been given to uncleared reporters.
Johnson challenged the redaction in court, arguing that the CIA, once it has selectively disclosed information to uncleared reporters, cannot claim the same information is protected by a FOIA exemption.
The judge in the case appeared to find Johnson’ argument compelling. In a court order last month, Chief Judge Colleen McMahon of the Southern District of New York said FOIA laws do not authorize limited disclosure, to favored journalists or otherwise. read more
Our Founding Fathers would have been warming up the tar, gathering old pillows and looking for a suitable rail by now
“Trusted Reporters”-my @ss-not anymore. Apply the existing laws to all equally.
Trusted Reporters = Co-Conspirators.
“I have a dream…”
or dismantling
the IRS
the FBI
the CIA
etc etc…
While some of their present *functions* may be legitimate, the current structures clearly lack necessary check/balances/restraints.
Remember, what Chris Cuomo said about Wikileaks: “it is illegal to possess these stolen documents. It is different from the media. So everything you learn about this, you are learning from us.”
The CIA is basically confirming what Cuomo was trying to grunt out: that the IC feeds select info to a dependent media, which then feeds it as a narrative to us. Any inconvenient facts which pop up outside that pipeline, whether by FOIA or leak, are deadly to narrative construction. If the CIA can’t keep its cozy, exclusive intel arrangement with its special media, it will be harder to shape stories. So stop reading stuff you shouldn’t be reading, and stop looking beyond what you see in the news.
Uhhhhh … riiiiiiight … giving out the information to people who will use it for our purposes as opposed to giving it out to people who will inform the American public.
Even though it’s the exact same information gathered using American tax dollars?
And any-fukkin-one still has any-fukkin-doubts that these weasels are traitors?
izlamo delenda est …
In our Declaration of Independence, Jefferson wrote that govts “[derive] their just powers from the consent of the governed.” How can I consent when govt acts in secret? I’ve maintained for many years that the govt must not keep anything secret. If something needs to be kept secret, the govt has no business doing it.
And, yes, I realize that has very profound implications.
Didn’t “RED” Cronkite losing us the Vietnam War teach the CIA ANYTHING?! There are NO, “trusted,” reporters! 🙄
@Bob M. – You mean Cronkite the CIA agent?
@Czar: I think the current structure lacks restraints. They seem willing to do anything to circumvent any existing checks, balances or oversight.
That’s what I’m saying, TBiI.
“Trusted Journalists” means CIA agents embedded in the media masquerading as journalist. These folks have security clearances to read the state propaganda.
@Czar of Defenestration February 16, 2018 at 1:01 pm
I, too, have a dream… A dream where apparatchiks are not judged by the content of their acronyms… But by the color of their pay.
CIA , FBI is corrupt.
CZAR
Right!