May 23, 2013, 5:20 p.m.
WASHINGTON — President Obama said Thursday he was troubled by the possibility that leak investigations may "chill" investigative journalism and said he had asked Atty. Gen. Eric H. Holder Jr. to review Justice Department guidelines for going after reporters or their records.
"Journalists should not be at legal risk for doing their jobs. Our focus must be on those who break the law," Obama said, referring to those who leak secret information.
The statement seemed to mark a departure for the president, who has been particularly determined to investigate those in his administration who leak national security information to reporters.
The president appeared to be responding to two recently revealed incidents in which prosecutors investigating leaks had secretly seized the phone records of reporters. In one case involving the Associated Press, the Justice Department said a special prosecutor had obtained phone records for at least 20 phone lines used by Associated Press reporters.
