Perfectly legal

In case you were wondering how the government could legally try to gain access to the phone records of members of the media, the mystery has been solved. It turns out they are using a provision of the PATRIOT act that allows them to gather phone records in of possible terrists.

Oops, my mistake, the law allows them to gather these records to search for the recipients of leaks.

Officials say that means that phone records of reporters will be sought if government records are not sufficient.

Officials say the FBI makes extensive use of a new provision of the Patriot Act which allows agents to seek information with what are called National Security Letters (NSL).

The NSLs are a version of an administrative subpoena and are not signed by a judge. Under the law, a phone company receiving a NSL for phone records must provide them and may not divulge to the customer that the records have been given to the government.

I believe the old school called that a "witch hunt."