DOJ subpoenas of Times reporters cited in open letter
Hundreds of former or retired journalists and eight press freedom groups have sent an open letter to the White House Correspondents’ Association asking it to stand up to the Trump administration’s recent attacks on the media at its rescheduled dinner this week, the Associated Press reported.
The letter, organized by former ABC News correspondent Lisa Stark and producer Ian Cameron, cites Justice Department subpoenas of New York Times journalists who reported on security concerns over the president’s Qatari-gifted Air Force One jet. According to the letter, the subpoenas of the journalists’ phone records included the mother of one reporter and two spouses.
The letter expands on a similar appeal issued in April before the original dinner, which was cut short when a gunman — whom prosecutors said was trying to assassinate Trump — opened fire at the Washington Hilton. The letter states that since then, “the administration’s attacks on journalists and press freedom have become even more egregious.”
President Donald Trump has said he will attend the rescheduled dinner. The event will take place Friday at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel in Washington, formerly the Trump International Hotel, and will be much smaller than the original dinner with enhanced security precautions.