WASHINGTON, DC – Congressman Jim Himes (CT-4) released the following statement regarding reports that the Department of Justice secretly obtained two months of media records from the Associated Press:

“I am deeply troubled by reports that the Department of Justice overstepped its authority to gain unprecedented access to a broad range of confidential communications by the news media. This type of erosion of the freedom of the press will inhibit the media’s ability to conduct the type of investigative reporting that is crucial to our democracy. I will use my seat on the Intelligence Committee to further investigate these serious allegations and will fight to ensure appropriate action is taken to prevent future breaches of the rights that are so critical to an open and democratic system.”