US House Launches Investigation into 'Illegal Surveillance of Journalists by Trump Administration'

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[Asia Economy Reporter Yujin Cho] The U.S. House Judiciary Committee has launched an investigation to uncover the truth behind illegal surveillance of journalists during the Donald Trump administration.

According to Fox News and others on the 14th (local time), House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerry Nadler stated in a press release that "the Judiciary Committee has begun an investigation into the surveillance of members of Congress and journalists during the Trump administration."

He said, "We have confirmed that the Department of Justice used judicial authority to spy on President Trump's political opponents," adding, "This issue raises serious constitutional concerns regarding the separation of powers."

He emphasized, "Congress must make it impossible to conduct surveillance on politicians or the press."

Earlier, during the 2016 presidential election, there were revelations that the Department of Justice monitored the communications records of prominent journalists from outlets such as The Washington Post to identify leakers related to reports on Russian interference allegations.

Although the Department of Justice did not specify when the surveillance decision was made, it was confirmed that it occurred last year during the Trump administration, targeting journalists who reported on Russia's interference in the U.S. presidential election.

Last month, the Biden Justice Department also disclosed that it had accessed the communications records of a CNN correspondent in 2017.

The Department of Justice issued a separate statement on the same day, announcing plans to strengthen its internal standards regarding the collection of information on politicians.

Attorney General Merrick Garland said, "I have directed a review and strengthening of procedures and policies for data collection on the legislative branch," adding, "We will focus on the separation of powers to ensure alignment with our principles of the rule of law."

He further stated, "No improper considerations will be allowed to influence judicial investigations or decision-making processes."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.