I am one of the signatories to a GoFundMe appeal (see below) to Americans for financial support of Sharyl Attkisson’s lawsuit against the Department of Justice over spying on her computer that took place following her honest reporting on activities of the Obama administration.  This is a clear violation of the Fourth Amendment's protections.

Sharyl is one of America’s premier investigative reporters, and the actions taken against her are the best measure of her effectiveness.

Please go to the GoFundMe page and donate whatever you can to get to the root of the corruption about which she reported.

https://www.gofundme.com/sharyl-attkisson-4th-am-litigation

For those who have forgotten, here are some reminders from that page of what happened to Sharyl Attkisson.

As CBS News reported on August 13, 2013:

“…[A] cybersecurity firm hired by CBS News 'has determined through forensic analysis' that 'Attkisson's computer was accessed by an unauthorized, external, unknown party on multiple occasions in late 2012. Evidence suggests this party performed all access remotely using Attkisson's accounts'.”

As The Daily Caller reported November 21, 2014:

“Newly released documents show the White House and Justice Department targeted investigative journalist Sharyl Attkisson in hopes of thwarting her reporting for CBS News on the secretive government operation called Fast and Furious.”

To date, five independent forensics exams have uncovered various aspects of the unauthorized remote surveillance of Sharyl's computers.

Expert analysts found software used in the remote intrusions is proprietary to a U.S. federal government intelligence agency. Forensic analysis uncovered government Internet Protocol (IP addresses) used in the operation. Additionally, software installed remotely monitored Sharyl's keystrokes and activated her computers’ microphones to listen in on conversations. Analysts tracked the path of exfiltrated data from Sharyl’s home to the FBI center in Quantico, Virginia. Three classified government documents were found planted in Sharyl’s computer, and her social media accounts and phones were also compromised.

When Sharyl recently spoke at a legal seminar on Fourth Amendment surveillance abuses, some of the attending lawyers were stunned to hear that not a single journalism group or civil liberties organization has stepped up to become involved in the case, or help pay for Sharyl’s legal fees. Sharyl and her family are financing this litigation out of their own pockets, and to see this case to the end could cost upwards of $1,000,000.

One reason Sharyl’s case is so important is because there are likely more cases like hers that have gone undiscovered.

Internal emails at the “shadow CIA” company Stratfor, and disclosed by WikiLeaks, imply a larger effort: 


“Obama Leak Investigations (internal use only - pls do not forward)

Brennan is behind the witch hunts of investigative journalists learning information from inside the beltway sources.

Note -- There is specific tasker from the WH to go after anyone printing materials negative to the Obama agenda (oh my.) Even the FBI is shocked. The Wonder Boys must be in meltdown mode…” —Stratfor, Sept. 21, 2010

 
If these violations go unanswered and unpunished, government attacks on journalists and citizens will be left, unchallenged, to expand. Sharyl’s lawsuit has important Constitutional and freedom implications for every American. She is courageously proceeding -- really on behalf of all Americans.

The Department of Justice, first under Obama and now under Trump, has failed to launch appropriate efforts to learn who is responsible for the intrusions and to remedy the violations. Instead, the agency is spending taxpayer funds and public time -- all unlimited, unlike Sharyl’s resources -- fighting her lawsuit and obstructing attempts to discover the facts. This has exacerbated the damage caused by the intrusions in terms of emotional distress, professional distraction and financial cost.

Sharyl’s case is perfect for a GoFundMe account, but she felt uncomfortable about setting one up for herself. So we, the undersigned, have stepped in to help her, with all proceeds going directly to Sharyl for her lawsuit.

Please donate what you can:  $10, $25, $100, $250, $500, or whatever your best gift may be.  Our goal is $400,000.

And please share this on your social media pages, and forward this GoFundMe link to friends.

This is an extremely important case about the limits and consequences of government spying on Americans’ personal and work computers, and is being watched by many. It is in the public interest to seek accountability. It is at our own peril that we give up on the old fashioned free press and privacy notions set forth in our Constitution. 

Lastly, we urge you to contact the U.S. Department of Justice and the Trump administration today through social media or any other means at your disposal and tell them to stop using taxpayer money to fight Sharyl Attkisson -- a highly respected, principled journalist who was spied upon by the U.S. government.

Signed,
(Organizations/affiliations named for identification purposes only)
 
Jim Babka
President
DownsizeDC.org, Inc.

Bob Barr,
Chairman, Liberty Guard
Former Member of Congress

William Binney
Former NSA Technical Director

Morton Blackwell
Conservative Leadership PAC

L. Brent Bozell, III
Founder and President
Media Research Center

David Bozell
President
ForAmerica

Floyd Brown
Publisher
Western Journal

Errol Copilevitz, Esq.
Copilevitz & Canter

Roger Craver
Editor-in-Chief
The Agitator

The Honorable Ken T. Cuccinelli II
Former Virginia Attorney General

Mark J. Fitzgibbons, Esq.
President of Corporate Affairs
American Target Advertising, Inc.

David Kirby
Independent investigative journalist
and author

Thomas Lifson
Founder and Publisher
American Thinker

Jenny Beth Martin
Chairman
Tea Party Patriots Citizens Fund

Alberto A. Martinez
Professor of History
University of Texas at Austin

Michael McCray
National Spokesman
ACORN 8

Mark Crispin Miller
Professor of Media, Culture & Communication
New York University

Cleta Mitchell, Esq.
Partner
Foley & Lardner LLP

William J. Olson, Esq.
Free Speech Defense and Education Fund

Kathleen Patten
President/CEO
American Target Advertising, Inc.

George Rasley
Editor
ConservativeHQ.com

Marcel Reid
Co-organizer 
Whistleblower Summit for Civil & Human Rights

Alfred S. Regnery
Chairman
Law Enforcement Legal Defense Fund

Mark Tapscott
Member, Freedom Forum’s
Freedom of Information Hall of Fame

Richard A. Viguerie
Chairman
FedUp Political Action Committee