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DOJ official leaks info on leak guidelines

Attorney General Eric Holder's new guidelines on criminal leak investigations involving members of the media would prevent the FBI from labeling reporters as co-conspirators, according to details leaked to Reuters and The New York Times by an unnamed Justice Dept. official.

The guidlines would also make it more difficult for prosecutors to obtain a journalist’s telephone records without informing them of the subpoena, according to the Justice Dept. official, who said the guidelines went "as far as the department can go on its own until Congress passes the media shield legislation."

(WATCH "On Media" series: Analyzing leak coverage)

The complete report, which Attorney General Eric Holder presented to President Obama on Friday, is expected to be released to the public later today.

The two guidelines leaked to the Times and Reuters respond directly to concerns raised by recent revelations that the DOJ had subpoenaed the phone records of Associated Press reporters and labeled Fox News reporter James Rosen a co-conspirator in separate leak investigations.

(QUIZ: How well do you know Eric Holder?)

The Times report here; the Reuters report here.