DOJ subpoenas Times journalists over Air Force One reporting

A leak fight reaches reporters’ doorsteps

Federal agents delivered subpoenas Friday evening to several New York Times journalists after they reported on security concerns involving President Trump’s Qatari-gifted Air Force One, the paper said.theguardian +1 The orders seek testimony before a federal grand jury in Manhattan on Wednesday and cite an alleged violation of federal criminal law without specifying the charge.theguardian +1 The reporters identified by the Times were Julian E. Barnes, Eric Lipton, Tyler Pager and Eric Schmitt.theguardian +1

The move followed two Times stories this week saying the Secret Service urged Trump to use an older presidential jet for part of his return from a NATO summit in Turkey, and that the newer Boeing 747 lacked some advanced defensive features, including antimissile capabilities.theguardian +1 Before publication, a senior FBI official asked the newspaper to hold one story and to identify its sources, NPR reported; the Times refused both requests.theguardian

The government frames it as a classified-leak inquiry

The Justice Department said reporters were “not the targets” and that prosecutors were pursuing officials who leaked classified information, while adding that it would not stop investigating national-security disclosures.cnbc The subpoenas were issued by Jay Clayton, the U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York, whom Trump recently nominated to become director of national intelligence.theguardian +1

The White House has denied that the new plane has security shortcomings, calling it equipped with high-level protocols, while Trump told reporters that security concerns did not drive the aircraft switch.cnbc The jet, a $400 million gift from Qatar that the administration has been refitting, entered service last week and flew Trump to Turkey before the mid-trip change to an older Air Force One model.cnbc +1

Press-freedom groups see a broader escalation

The Times’ top newsroom lawyer, David McCraw, called the appearance of federal law enforcement at reporters’ homes a “brazen act” meant to intimidate journalists doing public-interest reporting.theguardian +1 The National Press Club urged the Justice Department to withdraw the subpoenas, saying the step threatened the public’s right to an independent press.abc7chicago

Press advocates also pointed to a pattern: the Justice Department issued and later withdrew subpoenas aimed at Washington Post and Wall Street Journal reporters in June, and FBI agents searched Washington Post reporter Hannah Natanson’s home in January during a leak investigation.cnbc Bruce Brown of the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press said the new subpoenas break from a longstanding practice of treating compelled reporter testimony as a last resort.theguardian +1