By Carol E. Lee
The White House was given advance notice of the British government’s plans to detain the partner of the Guardian reporter who has written a series of high-profile stories about U.S. surveillance practices, a spokesman said Monday.
In the daily White House briefing, spokesman Josh Earnest declined to condemn the detainment and didn’t directly answer questions about whether U.S. officials expressed any concern to their British counterparts about the U.K.’s plans.
“This was something we had an indication was likely to occur,” Mr. Earnest said. “But it’s not something we requested.” (Read the full transcript.)
David Miranda, the partner of Guardian reporter Glenn Greenwald, was held Sunday at London’s Heathrow airport for nine hours. Authorities said he was detained under a U.K. terrorism law, and they confiscated a number of his electronics, including a cellphone and laptop.
Mr. Greenwald is one of the journalists to whom former National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden said he leaked secret documents on U.S. surveillance. Since then, Mr. Greenwald has remained closely connected to Mr. Snowden’s case.
The White House’s Mr. Earnest said he didn’t know how far in advance American officials were notified, nor whether the U.S. expects to be briefed on what information British authorities obtained during his questioning.