Republicans are going crazy over the fact that Holder signed off on the warrant for Rosen's emails

[woo me with science]

33. No. The scandal is that the warrant was sought and obtained by implicating a reporter

as a co-conspirator. The DOJ knew the identity of the leaker. They wanted more information, but in order to get it, they accused Rosen to the judge of being a co-conspirator, based solely on his normal activities as an investigative journalist:

http://theweek.com/article/index/244447/why-the-justice-department-spied-on-a-fox-news-reporter

Though investigators had already targeted Kim as the likely source of the leak, they wanted Rosen's personal emails to help build their case. However, investigators had to first convince a judge to sign off on a warrant authorizing such a search, arguing that Rosen had potentially broken the law, too, "either as an aider, abettor, and/or co-conspirator."

http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/a-rare-peek-into-a-justice-department-leak-probe/2013/05/19/0bc473de-be5e-11e2-97d4-a479289a31f9_story.html

"Reyes wrote that there was evidence Rosen had broken the law, 'at the very least, either as an aider, abettor and/or co-conspirator'. That fact distinguishes his case from the probe of the AP, in which the news organization is not the likely target. Using italics for emphasis, Reyes explained how Rosen allegedly used a 'covert communications plan' and quoted from an e-mail exchange between Rosen and Kim that seems to describe a secret system for passing along information. . . . However, it remains an open question whether it's ever illegal, given the First Amendment's protection of press freedom, for a reporter to solicit information. No reporter, including Rosen, has been prosecuted for doing so."

Many things nowadays are declared "legal" that shouldn't be. This is an especially chilling example.

It does not matter that the Justice Department has not charged Rosen with a crime. The point is that they implicated him in criminal wrongdoing in order to obtain a warrant that they would almost certainly not have been able to obtain had they not made the accusation.

Investigative journalists are one of our last defenses against the tyranny of government. First in Wikileaks, and now again in this case, the Obama DOJ is widening the interpretation of the law so that the mere act of soliciting and receiving information as an investigative journalist, can be considered grounds for surveillance or for accusation of a felony.

This case is rightfully chilling those involved in investigative journalism, and it should chill every single American.