Crackdown: A-G Bondi Puts Journalists On Notice

Attorney General Pam Bondi on Friday announced that federal authorities may resume seeking reporters’ phone records and compelling their testimony in leak investigations, overturning a Biden administration policy designed to shield journalists from intrusive efforts to identify and prosecute leakers.

In an internal Justice Department memo, Ms. Bondi justified the policy shift as essential to protect “classified, privileged, and other sensitive information”—a broader category of government secrets than those covered by criminal laws, which primarily prohibit sharing classified information.

Since 2017, President Trump has frequently criticized leaks of various kinds. He himself faced a dismissed criminal indictment for allegedly mishandling classified information after leaving office.

First Amendment advocates, anticipating Mr. Trump’s adversarial stance toward the press, expected his administration to repeal Biden-era journalist protections. However, the memo’s vague language suggests a potentially broader approach beyond merely reinstating prior policies.

The NY Times reports Ms. Bondi’s memo stated that federal prosecutors would “continue to employ procedural protections” to limit the use of compulsory legal processes against journalists, such as requiring senior Justice Department approval for court orders. Specific protections were not detailed.

The Justice Department, Ms. Bondi emphasized, “will not tolerate unauthorized disclosures that undermine President Trump’s policies, victimize government agencies, and cause harm to the American people.” Even for investigations extending beyond classified information, prosecutors would need to persuade judges that a crime may have occurred to obtain a warrant.