Fox’s Doocy Presses Psaki for Saying DOJ Will Follow ‘Holder Model’ on Leak Investigations: Holder DOJ ‘Was Spying On’ Reporters Too

Fox News’ Peter Doocy questioned White House press secretary Jen Psaki Friday for saying the Biden Department of Justice would follow the “Holder model” on leak investigations.

Psaki was asked during Friday’s briefing about reporting that the Trump administration obtained the phone and email records of CNN Pentagon correspondent Barbara Starr, following reporting two weeks ago that the Trump administration obtained the records of Washington Post reporters’ phone records.

“As I understand it, the records sought and the legal process to obtain them began…during the prior administration,” Psaki said. “This president is committed strongly to the rights of the freedom of press.”

She added that the DOJ “intend[s] to use the Holder model” and “not the model of the last several years,” referring to Obama administration Attorney General Eric Holder.

Doocy picked up on this exchange minutes later to ask what she meant by “Holder model,” referencing how the DOJ under Holder obtained phone records of AP reporters and then-Fox News reporter James Rosen in 2013.

“Eric Holder was the attorney general when the DOJ was spying on the Associated Press and was obtaining phone records,” Doocy said.

Psaki responded by saying the DOJ isn’t going to follow “the Barr model.”

“You said the Holder model,” Doocy followed up. “Eric Holder did monitor the phone records of journalists.”

“I think I would point to the Department of Justice here,” Psaki said. “All these decisions would be made by our attorney general and the Department of Justice.”

You can watch above, via C-SPAN.