New York Times Challenges Justice Department Subpoena in Air Force One Leak Case, Cites Freedom of the Press | Today’s news
The New York Times filed a motion to quash subpoenas issued by the U.S. Department of Justice to its journalists on Wednesday, July 16, over reports of security concerns surrounding the new Air Force One plane donated by Qatar to the Trump administration. The legal battle is expected to have significant implications for press freedom and the government’s ability to compel journalists to reveal confidential sources.
The newspaper filed the motion in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York after three of the five journalists named in the subpoenas were ordered to testify before a federal grand jury about their sources on Friday.
The subpoenas were issued following a New York Times report that raised safety concerns about a Boeing 747-8 donated by Qatar. President Donald Trump was forced to use an existing Air Force One for his return from a NATO summit in Turkey after the Secret Service reportedly raised concerns that the gifted aircraft had not yet received the security upgrades needed for presidential use, according to a report. The aircraft is expected to undergo about $400 million in modifications before entering service.
David McGraw, senior vice president and deputy general counsel of the New York Times, criticized the subpoena in a statement.
“As we stated in our motion, these subpoenas are being filed in bad faith to punish The Times for its reporting. They violate The Times’ constitutional rights and the rights of its journalists. We are going to court to defend our journalists’ rights to freely report on the administration and provide the public with stories that matter.”
The case represents the latest flashpoint in the Trump administration’s crackdown on anonymous sources and media leaks. Earlier this year, the FBI searched the home of Washington Post reporter Hannah Natanson as part of a leak investigation, prompting criticism from press freedom advocates who say the administration is trying to intimidate journalists and news organizations.
The Justice Department defended its actions, saying it was targeting government officials who leak classified information, not journalists themselves.
“But DOJ also plays an important role in ensuring that the people entrusted with our nation’s secrets do what they are supposed to do with that information, which is to not share classified information,” the department said in a statement.
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche echoed that sentiment at his confirmation hearing Wednesday.
“The Department of Justice requires me to approve it, which I did. And those reporters, we’re not targeting reporters. They’re material witnesses,” Blanche said.
When Sen. Peter Welch, a Vermont Democrat, argued that prosecutors were effectively trying to force reporters to identify their sources, Blanche responded, “No, we want to ask them who gave them classified national security information that everyone in this body should want to protect.”
In April 2025, then-Attorney General Pam Bondi reversed a Biden-era policy that limited prosecutors’ ability to seize journalists’ phone records and other communications during a leak investigation. The change restored the Justice Department’s authority to use subpoenas, warrants, and search warrants to pursue leaks through investigations involving journalists.
While the Justice Department has previously obtained journalists’ phone records in investigations into leaks of national security information, this is one of the first cases in which the reporters themselves have been subpoenaed to testify before a federal grand jury about confidential sources.
Read also | Trump era is driving global opinion shift toward China, Pew findsRead also | Trump’s Qatar-gifted Air Force One may never make it into his presidential libraryRead also | Trump skips Qatar plane and leaves Turkey after NATO summit
