Trump administration subpoenas New York Times journalists over Air Force One reporting
Several New York Times journalists were subpoenaed after they reported alleged safety concerns about President Donald Trump’s new Air Force One plane, the US newspaper said.
The Times said federal agents sent subpoenas to reporters’ homes demanding they appear before a federal grand jury investigating a possible crime.
The New York Times had published news claiming that the Qatar gift plane used by Trump was not safe enough, and the Secret Service had urged Trump to change planes on his way home from the NATO summit in Türkiye.
The Ministry of Justice told the BBC it was investigating illegal leaks of national security information.
David McCraw, the Times’ lead newsroom lawyer, called the subpoena “a brazen act” and “nothing more than an attempt to keep the public from knowing what’s going on in their country by scaring journalists from doing their jobs.”
Subpoenas (a legal requirement from a court or government agency that compels a person to appear in court or produce records or evidence) state that the reporters’ testimony is required “in connection with an alleged violation of federal criminal law,” the Times reported.
The subpoenas require reporters to appear before a grand jury in Manhattan on Wednesday, the Times said. Grand juries are composed of members of the public and are convened by the U.S. government to review evidence and decide whether there is sufficient evidence to charge a person or persons with a crime.
The New York Times reported security concerns about the president’s plane, citing unnamed sources. Although it is a crime to talk to the media about classified information, the U.S. Constitution protects the press’s freedom to disclose information in the public interest.
“We value and appreciate the important role the press plays in this country, but the Department of Justice also plays an important role in ensuring that those entrusted with our nation’s secrets do what they are supposed to do with that information: not share classified information,” the Department of Justice (DoJ) said in a statement to the BBC. he said.
The Times reported Wednesday that while Trump flew to the NATO summit in Türkiye in a new Air Force One, he left the summit in an older plane on the advice of the Secret Service. The next day, the newspaper reported that security officials were concerned that the new aircraft did not have advanced safety features, including missile defense capabilities.
“Our journalists report the facts and advance the American people’s right to know how their government works and how taxpayer dollars are used,” said McCraw, the Times attorney.
Other outlets, including the BBC’s US news partner CBS News, have published similar reports. A former U.S. government official told CBS there wasn’t enough time or money to update the plane with the safety requirements to serve as Air Force One.
While these reports were emerging, tensions with Iran were increasing due to the negotiated ceasefire agreement and the US was launching attacks.
