The New York Times announced Saturday that the U.S. Department of Justice has issued subpoenas to several of its journalists, compelling them to testify before a federal grand jury. The action follows the newspaper’s reporting on security concerns related to President Donald Trump’s new Air Force One aircraft, which was donated by Qatar.
According to the Times, the subpoenas were handed down on Friday and require the journalists to appear before the grand jury on Wednesday to testify, in the paper’s words, “in regard to an alleged violation of federal criminal law.”
The subpoenas were issued by Jay Clayton, the U.S. Attorney in Manhattan. In some cases, federal agents personally delivered the legal documents to reporters at their homes, the newspaper reported.
The Times characterized the government’s actions as “an extraordinary escalation in President Trump’s efforts to threaten and intimidate independent news organizations.”
When Reuters reached out for comment, a Department of Justice spokesperson neither confirmed nor denied that the subpoenas had been issued. The spokesperson stated that the administration’s concern was not with reporters themselves but with individuals who may have leaked classified information. The White House directed all inquiries to the Justice Department.
Earlier in the week, on Wednesday, Trump announced he would fly aboard the older Air Force One aircraft “for old time’s sake” for a leg of his trip from Ankara to a Royal Air Force base in Mildenhall, Britain. The newly acquired Qatari-gifted plane made the same stop so that U.S. military personnel stationed there could walk through and see the aircraft.
Video footage from late Wednesday showed President Trump boarding the new Qatar-gifted Air Force One at the British base as it prepared to return to the United States.
