Former CBS Reporter Sues Justice Department

Former CBS News Correspondent Sharyl Attkisson has decided sued the Justice Department over what she claims was the hacking of her computers.

Attkisson is accusing the Obama administration of illegal surveillance while she was reporting on administration scandals. 

Fox News reports that in a series of legal filings that seek $35 million in damages, Attkisson alleges that three separate computer forensic exams showed that hackers used sophisticated methods to surreptitiously monitor her work between 2011 and 2013. 

"I just think it's important to send a message that people shouldn't be victimized and throw up their hands and think there's nothing they can do and they're powerless," Attkisson said in an interview. 

The department has steadfastly denied any involvement in the hacking, saying in a 2013 statement: "To our knowledge, the Justice Department has never compromised Ms. Attkisson's computers, or otherwise sought any information from or concerning any telephone, computer, or other media device she may own or use."