That great beginning has seen the final inning.
Or so it seemed Thursday at the US State Department press briefing.
All hell did not break loose but it was surely the liveliest interaction for the department in some time.
Spokesperson Patrick Ventrell handled the briefing (or tried to). The first participants were Fox News' Whitney Ksiazek and Associated Press' Matthew Lee. This month has seen revelations that the US Justice Department secretly obtained two months worth of AP phone records. That's not the only time that Justice has targeted the press. This month also saw the revelation that the department obtained the phone records and e-mails of Fox News reporter James Rosen and that, in court papers, they labeled Rosen a criminal "co-conspirator." With that in mind . . .
Whitney Ksiazek: And then on a separate topic, was former Secretary Clinton consulted with the tracking of my colleague James Rosen’s building – State Department building swipe? And were any other employees interviewed in connection with the North Korea reporting that James Rosen did?
Patrick Ventrell: My understanding, this is a law enforcement matter. I really refer you to the Department of Justice for all details on that. In terms of our cooperation with the Department of Justice or the FBI on matters, that would be handled through Diplomatic Security channels and law enforcement channels. That’s how that’s done.
Matthew Lee: So you – in principle, DS doesn’t have a problem turning over badge records to --
Patrick Ventrell: Again, I’m not aware of the specific cooperation on this case, but --
Matthew Lee: Well, they got the records of his entry and egress, so you guys obviously handed – I mean, they didn’t make them up, I hope.
Patrick Ventrell: Well, I can’t --
Matthew Lee: So you guys obviously gave them to them.
Patrick Ventrell: I can’t comment on any details of this particular case, but when we have --
Matthew Lee: Well, I’m not talking about this particular case. Just in general, I mean, are you, like, running around, giving out the details of our comings and goings from this building?
Patrick Ventrell: Issues of cooperation on law enforcement matters between Diplomatic Security and the FBI are handled in law enforcement channels. I don’t have anything further on it.
Matthew Lee: Wait. Well, so you mean you’re not – do you just give the information out if people ask for it? Or do they need a court order or something?
Patrick Ventrell: Matt, I’m not sure of the legal circumstances on that kind of information sharing.
Matthew Lee: Well, can you check?
Patrick Ventrell: Sure.
Matthew Lee: It would be --
Patrick Ventrell: I’m happy to check on --
Matthew Lee: If DOJ comes to you and says we want the entry and exit records from people, persons X, Y, and Z, do you just give them to them? Or do they have to --
Patrick Ventrell: My understanding is there’s a legal process that’s followed, but I’d have to check with the lawyers.
Matthew Lee: Well, can you find out what the – what it is --
Patrick Ventrell: I’d be happy to check.
Matthew Lee: -- from your end, whether they need a subpoena or whether they need something like that.
Later in the press briefing it seemed another topic might be raised when questions came from Asia Today and India Globe's Raghubir Goyal.
Raghubir Goyal: New subject?
Patrick Ventrell: Yeah.
Raghubir Goyal: Question, Patrick, on the freedom of the press, globally.
Patrick Ventrell: You ask very broad questions, Goyal. (Laughter.)
Raghubir Goyal: Just simple question on the freedom of the press.
Patrick Ventrell: We support the freedom of the press. (Laughter.)
Raghubir Goyal: And the question is --
Matthew Lee: Do you?
Patrick Ventrell: We do.
Matthew Lee: Do you really?
Patrick Ventrell: We do, Matt.
Matthew Lee: Are you speaking for the entire Administration, or just this building?
Patrick Ventrell: We support the freedom of the press. We support it globally. We support it here at home.
Matthew Lee: That’s the position of this building. Is it the position of the entire Administration?
Patrick Ventrell: It is.
Raghubir Goyal: Just to mark the international freedom of the press, and recently Freedom House, they placed another 84 names of the journalists who were killed in 25 countries, but – these are only official from the Freedom House – but hundreds of journalists are beaten, jailed, or killed in many countries – more than 25 countries. My question is here: When Secretary meets with world leaders here or abroad, does he talk ever other than human rights but on the freedom of the press in these countries?
Patrick Ventrell: Indeed, he constantly and consistently raises these issues with foreign leaders around the world and here when he meets with them. And I think you heard over the two weeks during our freedom of the press activities, many of the cases that we called out, the high priority that we place on this, and our deep concern for the well-being of journalists who face violence and repression for the work that they do around the world. So that’s something we’re deeply committed to.
Raghubir Goyal: -- especially in China or Saudi Arabia and --
Patrick Ventrell: It includes all those countries.
Raghubir Goyal: Thank you, sir.
Matthew Lee: Is it just violence and repression? Or is it also government intimidation or – that you’re opposed to?
Patrick Ventrell: That as well. All of that.
Matthew Lee: So in other words, the State Department opposes the Administration – the rest of the Justice Department’s investigations into --
Patrick Ventrell: Well, again, I think you’re trying to conflate two issues here.
Matthew Lee: No, no. I’m asking about freedom of the press. That was what the question was.
Patrick Ventrell: And we do – and we support freedom of the press. I think you’ve heard the President – I think you’ve heard the White House talk about this extensively.
Matthew Lee: Right. So you – and you think that violence and repression against journalism – journalists is wrong, as you do harassment or intimidation by government agencies.
Patrick Ventrell: All of the above.
Matthew Lee: So you do not regard what the Justice Department has been doing as harassment or intimidation.
Patrick Ventrell: Again, I can’t comment on a specific law enforcement investigation.
Matthew Lee: I’m not asking about a specific case. In general, would the State Department oppose or support harassment, intimidation, or prosecution of journalists for publishing information?
Patrick Ventrell: We oppose that, in terms of them – is this around the world --
Matthew Lee: Okay. So the State Department then opposes the Justice Department’s prosecution.
Patrick Ventrell: Again, you’re trying to get me to conflate two issues.