In a prepared statement, U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn. Tuesday said, in response to reports that the U.S. government secretly confiscated telephone records from Associated Press bureaus, including the bureau in Hartford, Connecticut:

“I am deeply troubled by reports of the federal government’s apparently sweeping information collection from Associated Press bureaus, including Hartford. I am concerned that this investigative action may fail to meet the government’s high burden when invasion of privacy and chilling effects on First Amendment rights are at risk. Long accepted and strongly established constitutional principles of free expression and profoundly important public interests protect the press from government interference and intrusion. The Department of Justice must be forthcoming with the facts as soon as possible.”
 

A short time later, U.S. Senator Chris Murphy, also D-Conn. released this statement:

 

"We rely on the Department of Justice to enforce federal laws in our country and help keep Americans safe, and we trust that the leadership there is working steadfastly to accomplish that mission. It's incumbent on the Justice Department to explain why they've seized telephone records from reporters and editors at The Associated Press so that their actions don't have a chilling effect on the freedom of the press."

 

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