The administration of United States President Donald Trump has issued subpoenas against journalists from The New York Times, in what advocates say is an escalating attack on the free press.<\/p>\n
Late on Friday, the Times reported that at least four of its reporters have received subpoenas, some delivered to their homes by federal agents.<\/p>\n
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Those subpoenas compel them to testify before a grand jury in Manhattan on Wednesday.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe 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,\u201d said David McCraw, the newspaper\u2019s lawyer, in a statement quoted by the Times.<\/p>\n
News of the subpoenas prompted outcry from leading news groups including the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), which demanded their withdrawal.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe subpoenas are an extraordinary escalation in President Trump\u2019s efforts to threaten and intimidate independent news organizations, and have a chilling effect on the work of journalists across the country,\u201d said CPJ\u2019s chief executive officer Jodie Ginsberg.<\/p>\n
The subpoenas were authorised by a top official in Trump\u2019s Department of Justice: Jay Clayton, the US attorney for the Southern District of New York.<\/p>\n
Clayton is in line to succeed Bill Pulte as the director of national intelligence, a cabinet-level role Pulte holds on an interim basis. The Senate is set to begin hearings on Clayton\u2019s confirmation next week.<\/p>\n
Scrutiny on NATO travel coverage<\/p>\n
At issue is The New York Times coverage of Trump\u2019s return flight from the 2026 NATO summit in Ankara, Turkiye, this week.<\/p>\n
While Trump flew to Europe on his new Air Force One, a jet gifted by Qatar and retrofitted by the US military, he left on the old Air Force One.<\/p>\n
Trump claimed the switch was made to allow the new jet to visit RAF Mildenhall, an air force base in Suffolk, England, that supports US military operations.<\/p>\n
He framed it as an opportunity to allow military members to tour the aircraft.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s going to go to a couple of bases,\u201d Trump said at the time, \u201cso the soldiers can see it because it\u2019s truly magnificent.\u201d<\/p>\n
But at the same July 8 news conference, Trump referenced concerns about his safety.<\/p>\n
When asked about the airline switch by a reporter from The New York Post, Trump responded, \u201cYou know, the life of a president is very dangerous.\u201d He proceeded to add that he\u2019s \u201cnumber one on the kill list for Iran\u201d.<\/p>\n
That same day, The New York Times reported swapped his new presidential jet for his old one because of security concerns, citing anonymous sources. The change reportedly came at the urging of the Secret Service.<\/p>\n
Then, the next day, the Times expanded its coverage with a follow-up report, indicating that the new Air Force One lacked the security capabilities of the old jet.<\/p>\n
The article anonymously cited two former Air Force officials as saying there would not have been enough time to make the necessary upgrades before the Ankara flight.<\/p>\n
It is unclear what modifications have already been made, but experts have estimated that the updates could cost up to $1bn.<\/p>\n
Friday\u2019s subpoenas targeted four of the journalists involved in the Times\u2019s reporting on the subject: Eric Schmitt, Tyler Pager, Eric Lipton and Julian E Barnes.<\/p>\n
According to the Times, before the subpoenas were issued, the newspaper was contacted by a senior official from the FBI.<\/p>\n
That person, who was unnamed, asked the newspaper to hold off on its reporting about Air Force One, citing national security. The FBI official also requested information on the Times\u2019s anonymous sources.<\/p>\n
The newspaper, however, declined to provide such information, in line with standard journalistic practice.<\/p>\n
A testy relationship with journalists<\/p>\n
The subpoenas mark the latest clash between the Trump administration and US media outlets that report on its activities.<\/p>\n
Trump himself has a long-running feud with the Times. In September, he sued the newspaper for $15bn in damages, alleging it had defamed him and attempted to \u201csabotage\u201d his candidacy in the 2024 presidential election, which he won.<\/p>\n
After his initial complaint was thrown out as \u201cimproper\u201d, Trump refiled it in October.<\/p>\n
The Times, for its part, has sued the Department of Defence under Trump over its attempts to impose media restrictions on journalists.<\/p>\n
Just this week, the Times also filed a countersuit against the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, after it alleged the newspaper had discriminated against a white, male employee for failing to give him a promotion.<\/p>\n
The Times has described the effort as an attempt to muffle the press, in violation of the free-speech protections enshrined in the US Constitution\u2019s First Amendment.<\/p>\n
The Times is not the only newspaper to face legal backlash from the Trump administration. In December, Trump launched a $10bn lawsuit against the BBC<\/a>, arguing that a documentary it aired misrepresented his speech before the attack on the US Capitol on January 6, 2021.<\/p>\n Trump is also seeking $10bn from The Wall Street Journal over its reporting on a birthday message he allegedly sent to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. After that suit was thrown out<\/a>, Trump refiled it in May.<\/p>\n The Trump administration has also taken actions against individual journalists.<\/p>\n