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New York Times reporters are subpoenaed after Air Force One stories, raising press freedom concerns
By — Will Weissert, Associated Press Will Weissert, Associated Press By — Ashraf Khalil, Associated Press Ashraf Khalil, Associated Press Leave your feedback Share Copy URL https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/new-york-times-reporters-are-subpoenaed-after-air-force-one-stories-raising-press-freedom-concerns Email Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Tumblr Share on Facebook Share on Twitter New York Times reporters are subpoenaed after Air Force One stories, raising press freedom concerns Politics Jul 11, 2026 1:13 PM EDT WASHINGTON (AP) — The Department of Justice has subpoenaed New York Times journalists after they reported on security concerns involving the new, Qatari-gifted Air Force One, marking a dramatic escalation of President Donald Trump's campaign against the media that has drawn condemnation for eroding a fundamental freedom of American democracy. The new jet, a present from the U.S. ally that the administration spent $400 million on to retrofit and upgrade, entered service last week. But Trump used an older model Air Force One jet to leave a NATO summit in Turkey and later referenced threats against him made by Iran. WATCH: Trump doesn't refute Iran security concerns for new Air Force One The subpoenas seek to force the reporters to testify before a federal grand jury in Manhattan next week, the Times said, adding that federal agents delivered some subpoenas to the reporters at their homes. The subpoenas were issued after FBI Director Kash Patel and other Justice Department officials met at the White House on Friday to talk about the matter, according to a person familiar with the discussions who was not authorized to discuss the issue publicly and spoke on the condition of anonymity. The Times journalists who received subpoenas included Julian E. Barnes, Eric Lipton, Tyler Pager and Eric Schmitt, the Times reported. "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. 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 in a statement that 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." Educate your inbox Subscribe to Here’s the Deal, our politics newsletter for analysis you won’t find anywhere else. The department said that "to be clear, reporters are not the targets, those leaking classified information are." Its statement said "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
