USA Today publisher Maribel Perez Wadsworth is protesting this request by the FBI and in a statement to The Verge said, “We were surprised to receive this subpoena particularly in light of President Biden’s recent statements in support of press freedom. The subpoena is also contrary to the Justice Department’s own guidelines concerning the narrow circumstances in which subpoenas can be issued to the news media.”
The FBI did not explain as to why it needs the personal information of readers of an online news article. As far as the article is concerned, it was published on February 2, 2021 at 9.29AM in the morning with the headline “FBI identifies 2 agents killed in Florida while serving warrant in crimes against children case”. The agency wants details of users who read the article between 7:03 PM ET and 7:38 PM ET in the evening.
This appears to be the first time a request like this has been…