The War on Free Speech Gets Bolstered by Outgoing Deputy AG Rod Rosenstein
One of the most important rights we have in this nation is the freedom of the press. Without this integral piece of our First Amendment, our nation would look nothing like the America that we see before our eyes today.
It is truly a cornerstone of a free society. One cannot shine his light on evil without the right to say what he believes. This is beyond fundamental; it is God given, and it must be protected at all costs.
Sure, there are plenty of journalists out there with whom we disagree, but that is precisely the point. America can only exist as a beacon of liberty to the rest of the world if she embraces the diversity of thought that she embodies. We’re not supposed to always get along, except when joined in the fight against tyranny and oppression.
Today’s news out fo the Justice Department serves to remind us that this battle for the First Amendment is far from over, however.
For months now, the Department of Justice (DOJ) quietly has been working on a revision to its guidelines governing how, when and why prosecutors can obtain the records of journalists, particularly in leak cases.
The work has been supervised by Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein’s office, especially since former Attorney General Jeff Sessions departed, but is not wrapped up.
The effort has the potential to touch off a First Amendment debate with a press corps that already has high degrees of distrust of and disfunction with the Trump administration.
Advertisement - story continues belowActing Attorney General Matt Whitaker is aware of the effort but has not been given a final recommendation. Sources close to Whitaker say he will await final judgment but, in recent days, has developed reservations about proceeding with the plan.
And this is just as dastardly as it sounds:
Multiple sources familiar with the ongoing DOJ review tell me that it has two main goals. The first is to lower the threshold that prosecutors must meet before requesting subpoenas for journalists’ records; the second is to eliminate the need to alert a media organization that Justice intends to issue a subpoena.
The implications of this need not be spelled out in common conversation, but for the sake of making my point I will be perfectly clear.
The First Amendment is the line in the sand over which only tyrants dare to cross. Our eyes are keenly fixed on that line, and let that serve as a warning who contemplate treading on We The People.