Department of Justice subpoenas issued to New York Times reporters covering Air Force One story
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Four New York Times journalists received grand jury subpoenas from the Justice Department over a report on a Qatar-donated Air Force One plane, prompting criticism from press-freedom groups.
Four reporters from The New York Times were served with subpoenas on Friday evening, requiring them to appear before a Manhattan federal grand jury next week. The subpoenas relate to a story published Wednesday that alleged the Secret Service advised President Trump to use an older Air Force One aircraft instead of a newly donated Boeing 747 because the newer plane lacked certain defensive systems. The article, authored by Julian E. Barnes, Eric Lipton, Tyler Pager and Eric Schmitt, cited anonymous sources for the claim.
The subpoenas were issued by U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton of the Southern District of New York, who has been nominated by President Trump for the role of national intelligence director. A senior FBI official had previously contacted the newspaper’s staff, requesting that the story be delayed and that its sources be identified, but the Times declined both requests.
David McCraw, senior vice president and deputy counsel for the newspaper, said the appearance of federal agents at journalists’ homes "should shock the conscience of any American who believes in the Constitution and the press freedom it protects." Bruce D. Brown, president of the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press, warned that the subpoenas break with longstanding Justice Department practice of seeking reporter information only as a last resort.
The action follows other recent investigations involving media outlets, including an FBI search of Washington Post reporter Hannah Natanson’s devices earlier this year. The Times is also engaged in separate legal disputes with the Department of Defense and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.