Max Blumenthal

person

10 claims involving it · 3 statements attributed to it

Also written as: journalist Max Blumenthal · Blumenthal · him · his

Involved in

CBP seized Blumenthal’s phone devices to extract information on his sources, communications with sources, and journalist methods for conducting fieldwork and reporting, and disclosure could endanger sources, compromise ongoing investigations, and impair his ability to assure current and prospective sources that their identities and communications will remain confidential.
Blumenthal believes DHS and CBP targeted him due to his journalism, specifically his critical coverage of U.S. foreign policy and long record of exposing Israeli atrocities.
CBP detained Blumenthal for approximately two and a half hours after he returned on July 10 from a reporting trip to Iran for Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s funeral.
The American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee filed a time-sensitive motion in the Eastern District of Virginia’s federal court on behalf of journalist Max Blumenthal, seeking the immediate return of two smartphones unlawfully seized and retained by U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
When Blumenthal declined to provide the passcodes to his two phones because doing so could compromise his constitutional rights and confidential sources, an officer said the devices would be “hook[ed] up to machines” to extract their data.
During Blumenthal’s detention, CBP officers asked questions that closely mirrored Loomer’s post.
The filing argues that the timing, Blumenthal’s differential treatment compared with other journalists on the same reporting trip, and the overlap between Loomer’s demands and CBP’s questioning raise serious concerns that he was targeted because of his reporting and political viewpoints.
CBP officers questioned Blumenthal about his journalism, who funded his travel, whether he had been paid for interviews, and whether he planned to return to Iran.
The timing and content of Laura Loomer’s public statements reinforce Blumenthal’s belief that he was singled out because of his protected reporting and viewpoints.
Border-search authority cannot be used to punish disfavored journalism or expose confidential sources, and the government must return Blumenthal’s phones and any information obtained from them.

Statements attributed to it

Voices are counted, never weighed. This is a record of what this entity has been recorded as saying — not a measure of whether it is right.

Origin: first recognised while reading ADC sues DHS Secretary Mullin over illegal CBP seizure of Max Blumenthal’s devices · 2026-07-23 07:04