The Justice Department has seized years’ worth of a New York Times reporter’s phone and email records as part of a leak investigation. The Times reports that it is the first known instance of a practice that was used by the Obama administration. The reporter, Ali Watkins, who covers national security, was notified in February that the records were obtained. The records did not include the content of any messages. “It’s always disconcerting when a journalist’s telephone records are obtained by the Justice Department—through a grand jury subpoena or other legal process,” said Mark J. MacDougall, Watkins’ lawyer.
