WASHINGTON — In an unusually aggressive move to identify confidential sources, President Donald Trump’s administration sought phone records belonging not only to several New York Times journalists, but also to some of their family members, according to a court motion made public Monday.
The effort centers on reporting about security concerns surrounding a new Air Force One jet — a gift from Qatar that the administration spent $400 million to retrofit and upgrade. The subpoenas, described in a letter-motion filed by the Times over the weekend, were broader in scope than what had previously been reported, the newspaper said. They also covered a time period that stretched beyond the dates of the articles in question.
“Two of the subpoenas seek records beginning on January 1, 2026, long before the events that are purportedly the basis for the Department’s investigation,” Times lawyers wrote. “That timeframe strongly suggests that the Department is using this investigation not to focus on any purported concerns arising from the July 8 and 9 articles, but instead to forage for information about the Journalists’ source relationships more broadly.”
The additional subpoenas included requests for the phone records of one reporter’s mother and the spouses of two journalists. The motion noted that the mother is a mental health professional with confidential client relationships, and that one of the spouses serves as the general counsel of a law firm.
The Justice Department has defended its actions, stating that “reporters are not the targets, those leaking classified information are.”
Times lawyers pushed back sharply, writing that “the disclosure of additional subpoenas for confidential newsgathering information of the Journalists is deeply concerning, revealing yet another instance of the alarming pattern of conduct detailed in the Motion to Quash.”
The motion went further, stating: “These actions demonstrate abuse of the grand jury process, continued bad faith attacks on the Journalists, violations of the Department’s own internal regulations and disregard for the law in this Circuit intended to protect critical First Amendment interests.”
The Times is pursuing legal action to block the subpoenas, which were originally handed directly to three reporters at their homes — a move that press freedom advocates quickly condemned as an attempt to intimidate news organizations. The situation follows an earlier FBI search of a Washington Post reporter’s home, during which her electronic devices were seized.
The Times had reported, citing anonymous sources, that Trump used an older Air Force One model to depart a NATO summit in Turkey earlier this month rather than the newer Qatar-gifted plane. The newspaper said the switch came at the urging of the Secret Service, and that the newer aircraft lacks certain advanced security features of the older jet, including antimissile systems. Trump denied those security concerns on social media.
Since returning to office last year, Trump’s administration has clashed with numerous media outlets — from newspapers to television networks to the Voice of America — through lawsuits, administrative actions, and public threats. The First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution protects the press from government interference.
