Chris Elliott

In reversal, DHS withdraws subpoena of journalist Chris Elliott

December 31, 2009 By Dennis Schaal 20 Comments

Journalist Chris Elliott says this evening that — a few hours after the Dept. of Homeland Security extended a deadline for him to comply with a subpoena — he received word from his attorney that DHS withdrew the subpoena.

The stunning reversal occurred as media outlets throughout the country picked up the story that the DHS and TSA were playing hardball and going after Elliott and blogger Steven Frischling with subpoenas and tough tactics after they published the post-Northwest flight 253 security directive on new passenger screening rules.

Perhaps dropping the subpoena on New Year’s Eve made more sense than letting the issue and the bad publicity for the TSA linger through upcoming news cycles.

Filed Under: News Tagged With: Chris Elliott, DHS, subpoena, TSA, withdrawal

Chris Elliott submits objection to DHS subpoena over security directive disclosure

December 31, 2009 By Dennis Schaal 9 Comments

UPDATE: The DHS this afternoon gave journalist Chris Elliott an extension until Jan. 20 to comply with a subpoena, his attorney told Tnooz. The initial deadline was Dec. 31.

Facing a Dept. of Homeland Security subpoena and its Dec. 31 deadline, travel journalist Chris Elliott has not turned over any documents related to the source who provided him with the TSA’s secret Christmas Day security directive, his attorney says.

Attorney Anthony Elia, who’s representing Elliott, says he e-mailed a request Dec. 31 to TSA special agent Robert Flaherty, who served the civil subpoena at Elliott’s home on the evening of Dec. 29, asking for “additional time to allow the process to unfold in a reasonable way.”

Giving Elliott roughly two days to respond to the subpoena was an “inordinately short” period of time and “unreasonable,” Elia says, given the serious nature of the issues.

Filed Under: News Tagged With: Chris Elliott, DHS, security direcctive, subpoena, TSA

TSA plays hardball with airline blogger over security directive

December 30, 2009 By Dennis Schaal 25 Comments

UPDATE: A few minutes after posting the story below about how the TSA was using pressure tactics to get KLM blogger Steven Frischling to comply with a subpoena, two TSA agents visited his home again and took his hard drive, with his consent, Frischling says.

Travel blogger Steven Frischling, a self-employed photographer who also writes the Flying With Fish and KLM blogs, says two TSA agents delivered a Dept. of Homeland Security subpoena to him Dec. 29, two days after he published the Christmas Day TSA security directive and warned him they would contact KLM over the issue if he didn’t comply with the subpoena and that this would end his ability to work with the airline industry.

Frischling, speaking a day after the visit by two TSA agents to his Connecticut home, says their implied threat was that he would be considered a security risk if he didn’t turn over his e-mails and computer hard drive and failing to do so “would sever my ability to work with the airline industry.”

Filed Under: News Tagged With: Chris Elliott, DHS, security directive, Steven Frischling, subpoenas, TSA