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Republican presidential candidate, businessman Donald Trump, speaks during the Republican presidential debate sponsored by CNN.
Wilfredo Lee, File via AP
  • The Trump admin tangled with CNN for six months to obtain reporter Barbara Starr's phone records.
  • Starr had reported on the Trump administration's North Korea, Syria, and Afghanistan military policy.
  • CNN's general counsel said the process was unusually shrouded in secrecy.
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The Trump administration's Department of Justice clashed in court with CNN for six months to obtain Pentagon reporter Barbara Starr's phone and email records, the network reported on Wednesday.

CNN's general counsel David Vigilante shared on Wednesday that the Trump administration's Justice Department started its legal and secretive pursuit of Barbara Starr's records in July 2020, when Bill Barr was attorney general.

Starr had reported on the Trump administration's North Korea military policy in 2018, and the administration sought two months worth of her email logs from 2017.

According to CNN, Vigilante was placed under a gag order by the Justice Department. He was unable to share details about the probe with anyone except from CNN's president and legal team.

CNN also reported that leaders at the network as well as senior figures at The New York Times and The Washington Post are set to meet with current Attorney General Merrick Garland on Monday. Garland and President Joe Biden have verbally committed not to engage in the same practices.

A Justice Department officials told CNN that Starr was not the target of a leak investigation. After a federal judge unsealed some documents on Wednesday, Vigilante was allowed to share some details about the legal battle.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates.

Read the original article on Business Insider

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