ATTORNEY GENERAL/JEFF SESSION/LEAKS/MEDIA: “Attorney General Jeff Sessions issued a harsh rebuke of leaks and the media that report them on Friday [8-4-17]— echoing criticism levied regularly by President Trump over the past year — and signaled that the Justice Department could be changing how it deals with reporters in such cases.
Sessions announced at a news conference on Friday morning that the department is reviewing its policies for subpoenaing reporters, suggesting that Obama-era guidelines that placed limits on the practice could be rolled back…
Sessions offered no details about the scope or timeline of the review. Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein told reporters that the review was in its early stages, and was prompted by concerns raised by career prosecutors about finding ways to speed up the pace of cases…
Trump made attacking the press a central feature of his campaign, and has continued the negative rhetoric against the media since taking office. Sessions, as a senator, had sparred with journalists’ groups at times, including opposing efforts to provide protections for journalists wishing to shield their sources…
Press freedom advocates criticized the Obama administration for its aggressive approach to leak prosecutions, and expressed concern on Friday that the progress they nevertheless managed to make with Holder would be undone.”
-Zoe Tillman, “The Justice Department Is Reviewing Obama-Era Journalist Protections,” Buzzfeed News, Aug. 4, 2017 11:41am