DOJ subpoenas New York Times reporters over Qatar Air Force One leak report

Washington,UPDATED: Jul 12, 2026 07:34 IST

The US Department of Justice has issued subpoenas to several New York Times journalists after the newspaper reported on security concerns linked to the new Air Force One gifted by Qatar. The move would require the reporters to testify before a federal grand jury in Manhattan next week, according to the newspaper.

The subpoenas have drawn criticism from press freedom groups and media advocates, while the Justice Department said the reporters were not the targets and that the inquiry was focused on leaks of classified information. The development also came after questions were raised over President Donald Trump’s use of an older Air Force One jet while leaving Turkey after a NATO summit.

The New York Times said federal agents delivered some of the subpoenas to reporters at their homes. It said the journalists subpoenaed included Julian E. Barnes, Eric Lipton, Tyler Pager and Eric Schmitt.

According to the newspaper, the subpoenas were issued after FBI Director Kash Patel and other Justice Department officials met at the White House on Friday to discuss the matter. The report cited a person familiar with the discussions who was not authorised to speak publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity.

The Times also said that before its first story was published, a senior FBI official contacted a reporter and an editor and asked that the article be held, citing national security concerns. The newspaper said the official did not explain the security issue, but asked The Times to reveal its sources, which it refused to do.

“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, a lawyer for the Times, said in a statement.

The White House did not respond to messages seeking comment on the subpoenas, the report said. Bruce D. Brown, president of the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press, said Trump’s “war on the press is looking for another victim”. He said the subpoenas “break from longstanding Justice Department practice to protect the public interest and press independence by requiring prosecutors to only seek information from reporters as a last resort when all other avenues have been exhausted”.

The Justice Department said, “to be clear, reporters are not the targets, those leaking classified information are.” It added: “we value and appreciate the important role that the press plays in this country, but DOJ also plays an important role to make sure that the people entrusted with our nation’s secrets do what they’re supposed to do with that information, which means not sharing classified information.” The department said that while there may be “natural tension” between those roles, it would not stop investigating officials who make classified leaks affecting national security.

The subpoenas followed earlier attempts this year by the Justice Department to compel testimony from reporters at The Washington Post and The Wall Street Journal, though those subpoenas were later withdrawn. In January, FBI agents searched the home of Washington Post reporter Hannah Natanson as part of a leak investigation into a Pentagon contractor accused of taking home classified material.

Adam Steinbaugh, senior attorney at the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression, said the subpoenas and the possibility of “hauling reporters before grand juries sends a chilling message to journalists and whistleblowers alike: Watch what you say, or expect a knock on the door.” He added, “These tactics are becoming more common. That doesn’t make them normal.”

The report said the Justice Department has revised its internal rules on handling leaks over the years. In April 2025, then attorney general Pam Bondi rescinded a policy put in place under President Joe Biden that protected journalists from having their phone records secretly seized in leak investigations. That change again allowed prosecutors to use subpoenas, court orders and search warrants to pursue officials accused of making “unauthorised disclosures” to journalists. Bondi’s memo said members of the press were “presumptively entitled to advance notice of such investigative activities”, and that subpoenas must be “narrowly drawn”. It also said warrants must include “protocols designed to limit the scope of intrusion into potentially protected materials or newsgathering activities”.

The dispute is linked to reporting on the new Air Force One, which entered service last week after the administration spent USD 400 million to retrofit and upgrade the Qatari-gifted aircraft. Trump flew the new aircraft to Turkey, but on Wednesday left on one of the older Air Force One jets for Mildenhall, a Royal Air Force base in Suffolk, England. The newer plane also flew to Mildenhall, and Trump later switched to it for the journey home to Joint Base Andrews.

The aircraft switch came after a ceasefire with Iran collapsed, with the US launching airstrikes on Iran and Tehran attacking three Gulf Arab states. The Times reported, citing anonymous sources, that the switch was made at the urging of the Secret Service and that the newer plane lacked some advanced security features of the older aircraft, including anti-missile capabilities.

Trump denied there were security concerns, saying on social media that the stop at Mildenhall was meant to allow service members there to view the new aircraft. During the flight, he also denied to reporters travelling with him that concerns involving Iran were the reason for flying two planes home. When asked if he knew of any credible Iranian threats against Air Force One, Trump said, “I have a threat all the time. I’m No. 1 on their list.”

The case centres on the Justice Department’s effort to investigate leaks tied to reporting on the new Air Force One, while critics say the use of subpoenas against journalists raises serious concerns about press freedom. The episode has combined questions over national security, source protection and the administration’s handling of the media.

With PTI Inputs

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