LISTENING IN….Alberto Gonzales said today that the government wouldn’t hesitate to track telephone calls made by reporters, but won’t do it willy nilly:
He also denied that authorities would randomly check journalists’ records on domestic-to-domestic phone calls in an effort to find journalists’ confidential sources.
“We don’t engage in domestic-to-domestic surveillance without a court order,” Gonzales said, under a “probable cause” legal standard.
Glad to hear it. But remember, this is only because they’re in a good mood. Gonzales has previously made it clear that if they decide to listen in on domestic calls, there’s nothing to stop them. So keep those quarters handy, reporters.
