Trump administration subpoenas New York Times journalists over Air Force One reporting

Times editor says subpoenas are ‘naked attempt to intimidate reporters’

The Trump administration issued subpoenas to several New York Times journalists, compelling them to testify before a federal grand jury about the newspaper’s reporting on security concerns involving President Donald Trump’s new Qatari-donated aircraft, according to a Guardian US column by Margaret Sullivan. The subpoenas, delivered to the reporters’ homes by federal agents, stem from a Times story published last week that reported the Secret Service advised Trump not to use the donated Boeing 747 when he departed Turkey, and that Trump instead left on the older Air Force One.

The Times’ story, citing people briefed on the plane’s capabilities who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive security issues, said the new aircraft does not have all the features of the older model. The newspaper reported that a full upgrade of the plane could cost up to $1 billion.

Times executive editor Joseph Kahn, in a memo to the newsroom reported by the Guardian column, called the subpoenas “a naked attempt to intimidate individual reporters and to prevent The Times and other independent news media from doing important reporting protected by the First Amendment.” Kahn said the Times would “defend the reporters aggressively.”

Stephen Adler, chairperson of the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press, said in a statement cited by the Guardian column that “when the public’s right to know is crushed, as the Trump administration is trying to do … all of us suffer irreparable harm.”

The subpoenas are the latest in a series of confrontations between the Trump administration and the press. In January, FBI agents seized phones and laptops from Washington Post reporter Hannah Natanson at her home as part of an investigation into a government contractor. The administration has also pursued a defamation claim by Trump against the Times, and the Times has sued the Defense Department over restrictions on Pentagon reporters.

The Guardian column reported that the administration asked the Times to withhold the Air Force One story before publication, citing national security concerns. The Times published the story nonetheless. The White House characterized the plane swap as a distraction and misdirection tactic, according to the column, and Trump continued to praise the aircraft.