U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder said Tuesday that he was not involved in the Justice Department's decision to collect the phone records of Associated Press journalists. The collection was part of a probe into a leak of classified information concerning a CIA operation to stop a bomb plot in Yemen. 

 

Holder says he avoided making a decision on investigating the AP to prevent a conflict of interest and that the matter was dealt with by his deputy attorney general, James Cole, and the U.S. Attorney's office.

 

""I'm confident that the people who are involved in this investigation ... followed all of the appropriate Justice Department regulations and did things according to DOJ rules," Holder told reporters today. "[The leak] put the American people at risk, and that's not hyperbole. It put the American people at risk, and finding who was responsible for that required very aggressive action."

 

SEE ALSO | Associated Press Phone Records Secretly Seized By Government

 

Holder will face the House Judiciary Committee on Wednesday to answer questions about the Justice Department's review of AP phone records. He will also be questioned about a variety of other issues, including the IRS targeting of conservative groups for extra scrutiny of their tax exemption applications. The Justice Dept. has not been connected to the IRS targeting, but House Republicans plan to ask Holder about he has and will address the incident.

 

"“Any abridgement of the First Amendment is very concerning, especially reports that the IRS targeted conservative groups for unwarranted scrutiny during an election year,” said House Judiciary Chairman Bob Goodlatte (R-Va.) in a statement. “Members of the Committee will also ask pointed questions about the Justice Department’s decision to obtain two months’ worth of telephone records of reporters and editors for The Associated Press.”

 

White House press secretary Jay Carney deflected many questions about the AP on Tuesday, saying that the White House's knowledge of the scandal only comes from press reports.

 

"On the issue of what is a Department of Justice investigation, as I understand it, the president is a strong defender of the First Amendment and a firm believer in the need for the press to be unfettered in its ability to conduct investigative reporting and facilitate the free flow of information. He also, of course, recognizes the need for the Justice Department to investigate alleged criminal activity without undo influence," said Carney. 

 

 

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