Trump administration subpoenas New York Times journalists over new Air Force One reporting

Trump administration subpoenas New York Times journalists over new Air Force One reporting

The Justice Department has subpoenaed four New York Times journalists following reports of security flaws in the new Air Force One. The journalists — Julian E. Barnes, Eric Lipton, Tyler Pager and Eric Schmitt — have been ordered to testify before a federal grand jury in Manhattan on Wednesday, according to the Times.

Federal agents delivered some of the subpoenas directly to the reporters' homes on Friday. The Times reported that the subpoenas were issued by Southern District of New York US Attorney Jay Clayton, who was nominated by President Donald Trump last month to be the next director of national intelligence.

The legal action follows reporting from this past Wednesday that Trump departed Turkey on an older Air Force One jet as a security precaution at the urging of the Secret Service. A subsequent report on Thursday claimed the new aircraft, a $400 million gift from Qatar that underwent a retrofit, lacks advanced security features found on older models, including antimissile capabilities.

The aircraft swap occurred during a trip to a NATO summit in Turkey. Trump flew the new plane to Turkey but departed Wednesday for Mildenhall Air Force Base in England using an older jet. Both aircraft eventually arrived at Mildenhall, where Trump switched back to the newer plane for the final leg home to Joint Base Andrews.

The transition happened as a ceasefire with Iran collapsed, coinciding with U.S. Airstrikes on Iran and Tehran attacks on three Gulf Arab states. While Trump denied security concerns, attributing the Mildenhall stop to giving service members a chance to tour the Aircraft, he later suggested that concerns regarding Iran could be a factor when asked why reporters were told to lower window shades during the ascent from Ankara.

Internal government tensions preceded the subpoenas. The Times reported that a senior FBI official contacted the newspaper before the Wednesday story was published, requesting the report be held on national security grounds, though the official did not specify the issue. On Friday, FBI Director Kash Patel met with White House officials and spoke via phone with President Trump regarding the investigation into these disclosures.

Sources told CNN that Trump has been fuming and felt embarrassed that the Qatari-gifted plane was not equipped enough to fly directly from Turkey back to the U.S. White House spokesman Steven Cheung denied any shortcomings, stating the aircraft is state-of-the-art and uses distraction and misdirection to address threats.

The New York Times has stated it will fight the court order. David McCraw, the organization's top newsroom attorney, condemned the move in a statement Saturday morning.

"The appearance of federal law enforcement agents on the doorstep of news reporters should shock the conscience of any American who believes in the Constitution and the press freedom it protects,"

David McCraw, newsroom attorney, via The New York Times

McCraw added that the act is an attempt to intimidate journalists to prevent the public from knowing how their government is operating.

The Justice Department defended the investigation. A spokesperson told Newsweek via email that while the department values the press, it must ensure those entrusted with secrets do not share classified information. Acting Attorney Todd Blanche previously stated that the administration would not stop investigating people who leak classified information, acknowledging a tension between that goal and the role of reporters.

This incident follows similar legal conflicts. Earlier this year, The Washington Post and The Wall Street Journal engaged in a secret legal fight after the government issued subpoenas to several reporters in national security leak probes; those subpoenas were eventually withdrawn.

Press advocacy groups have characterized the subpoenas as an attack on the public's right to know. Seth Stern, chief of advocacy at the Freedom of the Press Foundation, argued that the government is prioritizing its own reputational security over national security to hide waste and incompetence regarding the retrofitted plane.

Stephen J. Adler, chairman of the Reporters' Committee for Freedom of the Press, stated that when the public's right to know is crushed, the nation suffers irreparable harm.

The targeted journalists are expected to appear before the Manhattan grand jury on Wednesday.