Talk radio host and former chairman of the California Democratic Party Bill Press said Thursday that Attorney General Eric Holder should be fired over the subpoena of reporter phone records.
With his tweets, Press becomes one of the first prominent liberal voices to call for the dismissal of Holder over the records seizure.
{mosads}The Justice Department said in a letter to The Associated Press on Friday that it had gathered records on at least 20 office, cell phone, and home phone numbers — including the AP’s desk in the House of Representatives press gallery.
The AP believes the records seizure was related to a leak investigation regarding a 2012 story about the CIA foiling a bomb plot in Yemen. The Obama administration has aggressively investigated the disclosure of classified anti-terror information in recent years, subpoenaing journalists from The New York Times and The Washington Post.
More from The Hill:
• Dems mull ‘nuclear option’ to move EPA nominee
• Dems offer gun control bill inspired by James Bond
• House set to vote on ObamaCare repeal
• Google CEO: Internet hampered by ‘outdated’ laws
• Watchdog seeks to change rules on moving nuclear material
• Dems: We can call Rubio’s bluff
• Obama tries to win back the press
Earlier this week, Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus also said Holder should resign over the controversy.
“Attorney General Eric Holder, in permitting the Justice Department to issue secret subpoenas to spy on Associated Press reporters, has trampled on the First Amendment and failed in his sworn duty to uphold the Constitution,” said Priebus in a statement.
“Because Attorney General Holder has so egregiously violated the public trust, the president should ask for his immediate resignation. If President Obama does not, the message will be unmistakable: The President of the United States believes his administration is above the Constitution and does not respect the role of a free press,” he added.
Holder told the House Judiciary Committee on Wednesday that he had recused himself from the investigation and did not have details of the subpoena.
The White House on Wednesday asked Sen. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) to reintroduce a media shield law that would provide reporters greater protection from criminal prosecution and phone records seizure.
Press is a columnist for The Hill.