Anti-Terrorism Database Was Used Against Journalists

Federal watchdog finds unit called up records of congressional staff members, as well
By Newser Editors and Wire Services
Posted Dec 13, 2021 5:44 PM CST
Anti-Terrorism Database Was Used Against Journalists
Border Patrol agents hold a news conference in 2019 in Donna, Texas. A unit in Customs and Border Protection ran journalists' names through government databases intended to track terrorists, according to a federal watchdog's report.   (AP Photo/Eric Gay, File)

A special Customs and Border Protection unit used sensitive government databases intended to track terrorists to investigate as many as 20 US-based journalists, including a Pulitzer Prize-winning AP reporter, according to a federal watchdog. Yahoo News, which published an extensive report on the investigation, also found that the unit, the Counter Network Division, queried records of congressional staffers and perhaps members of Congress. Jeffrey Rambo, an agent who acknowledged running checks on journalists in 2017, told federal investigators the practice is routine, per the AP. "When a name comes across your desk you run it through every system you have access too, that's just status quo, that’s what everyone does," Rambo was quoted by Yahoo News as saying.

The AP obtained a redacted copy of a more than 500-page report by the Homeland Security Department's inspector general that included the same statement, but with the speaker's name blacked out. The border protection agency is part of Homeland Security. The revelations raised alarm in news organizations and prompted a demand for a full explanation. "We are deeply concerned about this apparent abuse of power," Lauren Easton, AP's director of media relations, said in a statement. "This appears to be an example of journalists being targeted for simply doing their jobs, which is a violation of the First Amendment."

Customs and Border Protection did not specifically address the investigation, but said the agency "does not investigate individuals without a legitimate and legal basis to do so." The new disclosures are just the latest examples of federal agencies using their power to examine the contacts of journalists and others. Rambo's and the unit's use of the databases was more extensive than previously known. The inspector general referred possible criminal charges for misusing government databases and lying to investigators, but the Justice Department declined to prosecute Rambo and two other Homeland Security employees.

(More Customs and Border Protection stories.)

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