AP records seizure just latest step in sweeping U.S. leak probe

The Justice Department's controversial decision to seize phone records of Associated Press journalists was just one element in a sweeping U.S. government investigation into media leaks about a Yemen-based plot to bomb a U.S. airliner. The search for who leaked the information is being led by the U.S. Attorney's Office in Washington and has involved extensive FBI interviews of personnel at the Justice Department, U.S. intelligence agencies, the White House's National Security staff and the FBI itself.

The interviews have been lengthy and thorough, said people who have been questioned in the investigation, but requested anonymity. Two of those interviewed said leak inquiries were always aggressive and that being questioned is a wearing and unpleasant experience. There are signs the administration's efforts to find the alleged leaker were unproductive - at least before the Justice Department seized two months of records of phone calls by the AP and its journalists. "Seeking toll records associated with media organizations is undertaken only after all other reasonable alternative investigative steps have been taken," said the Justice Department’s James Cole in a letter to AP President Gary Pruitt, who has protested the government's action. In that letter, Cole revealed the Justice Department had conducted more than 550 interviews and reviewed tens of thousands of documents before subpoenaing phone company records of AP calls. A law enforcement official said on Wednesday that because officials were so concerned and shocked by the leak, they opened an investigation into how the AP found out about the spy operation even before the news agency ran its initial story. The AP had contacted the government and asked for comment several days before the story was published.