Fox News: Government spying on reporter ‘downright chilling’

Fox News on Monday angrily denounced the Justice Department’s “downright chilling” decision to target of one of its reporters, James Rosen, in a national security leak investigation. Executive Vice President Michael Clemente portrayed the government’s actions as an assault on “what up until now has always been a free press.”

“We are outraged to learn today that James Rosen was named a criminal co-conspirator for simply doing his job as a reporter,” Clemente said in a statement.

“In fact, it is downright chilling,” Clemente said. “We will unequivocally defend his right to operate as a member of what up until now has always been a free press.”

The Washington Post first disclosed details of the case. The Federation of American Scientists Project on Government Secrecy later posted the warrant request and affidavit in the case. The affidavit, sworn by FBI agent Reginald Reyes, portrays routine reporter-source exchanges as similar to espionage.