US Court Authorizes Surveillance on Journalists to Find White House Data Leakers

The US Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court (FISA) allowed the country's Department of Justice to conduct surveillance on several reporters, who had received information leaked from the White House, local media reported, citing a source in Washington.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — The department had received a warrant from the FISA court to carry out electronic surveillance on the reporters in order to find a source of leaks, the New York Post newspaper reported Wednesday.

According to the newspaper, the incumbent administration suspected a high-ranking retired officer, who received the information from three people working in the White House since the times of former President Barack Obama, before leaking it.

The suspected leakers have already been dismissed or will be fired in the near future, the news outlet added.

Since the beginning of US President Donald Trump's tenure, reported leaks of information from the White House have caused several media scandals, such as about Trump's sharing of intelligence information at a meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. In May, the US president called on the Department of Justice and other agencies to start a review of information leaks.