WASHINGTON — The Federal Bureau of Investigation said Friday that it had improperly obtained the phone records of reporters for The New York Times and The Washington Post in the newspapers’ Indonesia bureaus in 2004.

Robert S. Mueller III, director of the F.B.I., disclosed the episode in a phone call to Bill Keller, the executive editor of The Times, and apologized for it. He also spoke with Leonard Downie Jr., the executive editor of The Washington Post, to apologize.

F.B.I. officials said the incident came to light as part of the continuing review by the Justice Department inspector general’s office into the bureau’s improper collection of telephone records through “emergency” records demands issued to phone providers.

The records were apparently sought as part of a terrorism investigation, but the F.B.I. did not explain what was being investigated or why the reporters’ phone records were considered relevant.

The Justice Department places a high bar on the collection of reporters’ records in investigations because of First Amendment concerns, and obtaining such records requires the approval of the deputy attorney general. That requirement was not followed when the F.B.I. obtained the records of two reporters for The Times in Indonesia, Raymond Bonner and Jane Perlez, as well as two reporters there for The Post, Ellen Nakashima and Natasha Tampubolon, officials said.

“The F.B.I. is committed to protecting the news media consistent with the First Amendment and Department of Justice policies, and we very much regret that this situation occurred,” Valerie Caproni, general counsel for the bureau, wrote in a letter to Mr. Keller faxed Friday.

Ms. Caproni said the telephone records, which list the numbers that were called but do not show the calls’ content, had been purged from the F.B.I.’s databases. She also said the records were not used as part of any investigation.

But Mr. Downie said it was not clear to him why the F.B.I. was interested in his reporters’ records in the first place.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/09/wa...09inquire.html

But don't worry...
All those godless anti-American traitors are only trying to help the enemy when they question the Bush administration's actions...
< end sarcasm >

I'll hold off jumping on the sarcasm bandwagon until this part becomes more clear...

__________________
"You get the respect that you give" - cnredd

Did you see the part where the DIRECTOR OF THE FBI called to APOLOGIZE to the executive editors of the Washington Post and the New York Times?

Did you miss the part where they state: "The Federal Bureau of Investigation said Friday that it had improperly obtained the phone records of reporters for The New York Times and The Washington Post in the newspapers’ Indonesia bureaus in 2004."

If it was all innocent and above reproach, why apologize?
Why admit that it was improper?

The only thing the ONE sentence you quote establishes is WHAT MECHANISM was used to allow them to get those records WITHOUT A WARRANT...


Yet again, the Republican administration gets the benefit of the doubt.
But if it had been the Democrats, we would have all elected Edwards despite lies / affairs in a heart-beat...

And all it takes for this to be a non-issue is for people to clam up. Refuse to talk about it.
Refuse to testify in front of congress. Say "I don't recall" if they actually are in front of Congress...

And then anybody who raises the issue is just Bush-bashing...