Carney: No comment on James Rosen case

By JENNIFER EPSTEIN | 5/20/13 2:52 PM EDT

White House press secretary Jay Carney wouldn't comment Monday on the ongoing national security leaks case involving Fox News reporter James Rosen, after a weekend news report detailing the Justice Department's surveillance of him.


"I can't comment on an ongoing criminal investigation, nor should I," Carney said in response to one of several questions on the case, offering a similar answer each time. The Washington Post reported Sunday that the Justice Department tracked Rosen's use of ID badge in the State Department building, as well as his phone calls with his suspected source, State security adviser Stephen Jin-Woo Kim. Rosen's case has gotten new scrutiny since The Associated Press learned it was under investigation by Justice for a report on terror groups in Yemen.


As a former reporter and as a spokesperson for President Obama, Carney said he "share[s] the president's belief that we need to find a balance" between national security and freedom of the press.