Trump administration obtained phone records from journalists

The Trump administration secretly obtained telephone records from

reporters

who wrote about accusations of Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election, the US daily reported on Friday.

The US Department of Justice sent a letter to reporters Ellen Nakashima and Greg Miller, as well as former reporter Adam Entous, telling them that he had received their telephone records from personal and work landlines, and from their phones. cell "for the period April 15, 2017 to July 31, 2017," reports the

.

"Deeply disturbed by this use of government power"

The newspaper was "deeply troubled by this use of government power to gain access to journalists' communications," editor-in-chief Cameron Barr said. "The Department of Justice must immediately shed light on the reasons for its intrusion into the activities of reporters, which are protected by the First Amendment" of the United States Constitution, he continued. The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), for its part, said the Justice Department "spied on" these journalists "at the whim of a government."

"This should never have happened," the ACLU tweeted. "When the government spies on journalists and their sources, it compromises press freedom." The Ministry of Justice has meanwhile claimed to have followed "established procedures" regarding this request, the newspaper said, citing a spokesperson for the ministry. Letters to reporters did not specify why these records were seized. But at the end of this period, these three journalists wrote an article on the American intelligence services suggesting that Jeff Sessions, later became attorney general under Donald Trump, had discussed the latter's campaign with the Russian ambassador. .

Moscow is accused of having secretly supported Donald Trump's candidacy in 2016, in order to promote his victory.