The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said Friday it will stop compiling intelligence reports on journalists covering protests in Portland, Ore., and open an internal investigation into the practice.
The announcement comes after reports surfaced Friday that DHS created intelligence reports on a pair of journalists who it claimed reported on leaked, unclassified information, sparking criticism that the agency was violating the reporters’ First Amendment rights.
“Upon learning about the practice, Acting Secretary Wolf directed the DHS Intelligence & Analysis Directorate to immediately discontinue collecting information involving members of the press. In no way does the Acting Secretary condone this practice and he has immediately ordered an inquiry into the matter,” said DHS spokesperson Alexei Woltornist.
“The Acting Secretary is committed to ensuring that all DHS personnel uphold the principles of professionalism, impartiality and respect for civil rights and civil liberties, particularly as it relates to the exercise of First Amendment rights,” Woltornist added.
The statement comes as DHS plays damage control over the news of the intelligence reports on the journalists, which included images of tweets from the journalists and detailed information about the post. Known as Open Source Intelligence Reports, the documents were created by DHS’s Office of Intelligence and Analysis.
Among the group’s primary responsibilities are providing information to state, local and federal law enforcement agencies on national security threats.
One of the leaked memos said that DHS agents on the ground in Portland have relied on financial intelligence and “baseball cards” of arrested protesters to better assess the situation, adopting a tactic that has historically been used by the U.S. intelligence community as background information on suspected terrorists.
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Trump admin says it will stop compiling intel reports on journalists covering Portland protests https://t.co/cSg0JTnlGx pic.twitter.com/8IUCqKxZMp
— The Hill (@thehill) August 1, 2020
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