JUST IN: Trump Administration Obtained CNN Correspondent Barbara Starr’s Phone and Email Records

CNN correspondent Barbara Starr’s phone and email records were obtained by the Trump administration last year, CNN’s Jessica Schneider has reported.

Schneider told Wolf Blitzer Thursday evening that the records covered a two-month period from June and July 2017. The records, which were obtained by the Department of Justice last year, include emails and phone calls made to and from Starr’s home, office, and cell phones. Starr was notified last week in a letter from the Department of Justice last week informing her about the obtainment.

The records are “non-content” in nature, meaning they do not include what was said or written in the communications, but rather the times they were sent and received, as well as the identities of the senders and recipients.

“The letter did not say why Barbara Starr’s communications were sought,” said Schneider, “But over the timeframe listed in the letter – June and July 2017 – she reported on U.S. military options for North Korea that were being prepared for [former President Donald Trump], as well as stories including Syria and Afghanistan.” 

Schneider noted that this isn’t the first time the Trump administration sought and obtained communication records of journalists. Earlier this month, The Washington Post reported that three of its reporters had their communications gathered, covering a period between April 2017 and July 2017.

CNN President Jeff Zucker issued a statement on Thursday, “CNN strongly condemns the secret collection of any aspect of a journalist’s correspondence, which is clearly protected by the First Amendment,” he wrote. “We are asking for an immediate meeting with the Justice Department for an explanation.”

The letter to Starr did not explain why her records had been sought.

Watch above via CNN.