Thursday, May 2, 2024

Few Clues Emerge About Missing ABC News Journalist After FBI Raid

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An journalist writing a book on the 's mishandling of the U.S. military withdrawal from has not been seen or heard from since his home was raided by agents on orders from the Biden administration, Rolling Stone first reported earlier this month.

Reporters publicly state they fear the Biden administration is forcibly silencing journalists.

, formerly an investigative reporter for ABC News, has seemingly vanished after FBI agents raided his Arlington, Virginia apartment. Meek was writing a book on the Biden administration's botched handling of the U.S. military withdrawal from Afghanistan.

“Meek has been charged with no . But independent observers believe the raid is among the first — and quite possibly, the first — to be carried out on a journalist by the Biden administration,” writes Rolling Stone's Tatiana Siegel.

It is alleged Meek had classified information on his personal computer.

“Sources familiar with the matter say federal agents allegedly found classified information on Meek's laptop during their raid. One investigative journalist who worked with Meek says it would be highly unusual for a reporter or producer to keep any classified information on a computer,” Siegel reports.

“Mr. Meek is unaware of what allegations anonymous sources are making about his possession of classified documents,” Meek's attorney, Eugene Gorokhov, tells Siegel.

If such documents exist, as claimed, this would be within the scope of his long career as an investigative journalist covering government wrongdoing. The allegations in your inquiry are troubling for a different reason: they appear to come from a source inside the government,” said Gorokhov.

“It is highly inappropriate, and illegal, for individuals in the government to leak information about an ongoing investigation. We hope that the DOJ [] promptly investigates the source of this leak,” said Gorokhov.

Under Justice Department policy, any raid on a working journalist requires the approval of the Biden administration.

“A federal magistrate judge in the Virginia Eastern District Court signed off on the search warrant the day before the raid. If the raid was for Meek's records, U.S. Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco would have had to give her blessing; a new policy enacted last year prohibits federal prosecutors from seizing journalists' documents. Any exception requires the deputy AG's approval,” Siegel writes.

Colleagues tell Siegel Meek has not been seen or heard from since the raid. ABC News claims Meek has resigned and they have not heard from him.

The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the positions of American Liberty News.

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Donny Ferguson
Donny Fergusonhttps://donnyferguson.com/
Donny Ferguson is a professional fundraiser and organizational manager. Born and raised in Texas, he has lived in Washington, D.C. for 16 years. Ferguson also served as Senior Communications and Policy Adviser in the United States House of Representatives, operating one of Capitol Hill's most effective media operations.

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