Ex-CBS Reporter Sharyl Attkisson Takes a Big Step in Alleged Computer Hacking Case

Former CBS News reporter Sharyl Attkisson is suing the Justice Department for allegedly withholding documents that could reveal the federal government's role in hacking her computer during her reporting on Benghazi and other unflattering Obama administration stories.

Former CBS investigative reporter and author of "Stonewalled" Sharyl Attkisson appears on "The Glenn Beck Program," Nov. 20, 2014. (Photo: TheBlaze TV)

“The personal rights secured by our Constitution have a long and accepted history. At the very core of those rights is the right to be free in our own homes from unreasonable governmental intrusion," Attkisson said in a statement on her website. "Although I would have much preferred to have resolved this efficiently with dialogue and disclosure, until the government is open, honest, and fully truthful with my family about what transpired, we have chosen to use the only means available to us as citizens to try and force full disclosure and honest answers to the many questions that have been raised during the investigation conducted to date.”

The Washington Examiner was one of the first to report that court documents were filed Nov. 19, 2014 in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia demanding the federal government turn over “[a]ny and all records concerned, regarding or relating to Sharyl Attkisson. Such records include, but are not limited to, records of background checks of Sharyl Attkisson, records of communications, contacts, or correspondence between Sharyl Attkisson and employees, officials or agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and records of investigations concerning or regarding Sharyl Attkisson as a victim…” She is seeking $35 million in damages.

The conservative watchdog group Judicial Watch is joining Attkisson in her suit. Judicial Watch, led by president Tom Fitton, has mounted multiple legal challenges against the Obama administration.

“We are proud to represent Sharyl Attkisson, an independent journalist, who has a demonstrated track-record of refusing to play the Washington media insiders game that covers up or covers over public corruption stories such as Fast Furious,” Fitton said in a statement last week. “We know from the emails we have already obtained that the Obama White House and the Justice Department sought to silence this courageous reporter. Now, we need to find out just how far they went.”

AP

Attkisson has alleged that someone inside the Department of Justice installed  software on her home and work computers in order to obtain data and passwords, and that the government monitored audio on her computers with a Skype account. Fox News reported that three separate forensic exams Attkisson commissioned revealed that her work was hacked between 2011 and 2013.

Attkisson said she learned only through a Freedom of Information Act request that the FBI had opened a case into the alleged hacking in 2013, but  did not interview her or even notify her of the probe.

The Justice Department has long denied hacking Attkisson's computer, saying in a 2013 statement: "To our knowledge, the Justice Department has never compromised Ms. Attkisson's computers, or otherwise sought any information from or concerning any telephone, computer or other media device she may own or use."

In November, Attkisson released her book, "Stonewalled: My Fight for Truth Against the Forces of Obstruction, Intimidation, and Harassment in Obama’s Washington," in which she chronicles her experiences reporting on the Obama administration. She also released a video in October 2014 which she claims is evidence of her computer being hacked, although at that time Attkisson stopped short of accusing the government for its alleged involvement.

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