Press Advocate: Trump Asking to Jail Journalists Crossed the Line

President Donald Trump crossed a "dangerous line" when he allegedly asked FBI Director James Comey to consider jailing journalists who leaked classified information, the executive director of a press freedom advocacy group said, according to The Hill.

"The comments attributed to President Trump cross a dangerous line. But no president gets to jail journalists," Bruce Brown, executive director of the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press, said in a statement. 

"Reporters are protected by judges and juries, by a Congress that relies on them to stay informed, and by a Justice Department that for decades has honored the role of a free press by spurning prosecutions of journalists for publishing leaks of classified information."

Brown's reaction was in response to The New York Times report on Tuesday alleging Trump asked Comey to "consider putting reporters in prison for publishing classified information."

Brown said Trump's comments, "remind us that every day public servants are reaching out to reporters to ensure the public is aware of the risks today to rule of law in this country” and that they "should not intimidate the press but inspire it."

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