Trump administration subpoenas NY Times journalists in grand jury leak probe tied to Air Force One report

The Trump administration has subpoenaed several journalists from The New York Times after their report about security concerns over the president’s new Air Force One aircraft, the paper announced.

The legal action comes after the new jet, a newly retrofitted Boeing 747-8 given to President Donald Trump by Qatar, took its inaugural flight earlier this month.

The subpoenas were issued to the journalists — identified as Eric Lipton, Julian E. Barnes, Tyler Pager and Eric Schmitt — on Friday and seek to require those served to testify before a grand jury in Manhattan federal court Wednesday, the paper said.

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The Times added that federal agents delivered some of the subpoenas directly to the reporters’ homes.

"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, the Times’ top lawyer, said in a statement.

Susan DeCarava, president of the NewsGuild of New York, which represents journalists in the Times Guild, also blasted the legal action in a statement released Saturday.

"We support our members to the fullest in the fight to protect the integrity of their reporting and their ability to do their jobs," DeCarava said. "A free and independent press is essential to the functioning of a democratic society. Representing the only industry specifically named in the Constitution, it is our job as the union of journalists and media workers to protect our members' ability to shine a light in the dark corners of our democracy and to serve as a necessary check on government power."

Earlier this week, Trump flew on the new aircraft to a NATO summit in Turkey but later departed for the Mildenhall Royal Air Force Base in Suffolk, England, on an older Air Force One jet.

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The Qatari-gifted plane also flew to Mildenhall, where Trump then moved to that aircraft for his flight to Joint Base Andrews.

In an article published earlier this week and citing anonymous sources, the Times reported that the last-minute swap was made under the recommendation of the Secret Service, adding the $400 million retrofitted jet did not possess specific security and countermeasure technology.

The switch came as the U.S. launched airstrikes on Iran and Tehran after a ceasefire with Iran fell through, prompting questions about the jet because Turkey and Iran share a border.

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Trump has since dismissed any security concerns with the jet, instead posting on Truth Social that the Mildenhall stop was conducted so service members stationed on the base could view the new aircraft.

According to The Associated Press, when asked on the flight if the plane swap was made in response to security concerns involving Iran, Trump replied, "I have a threat all the time. I’m No. 1 on their list."

In a statement to Fox News Digital, the Department of Justice doubled down on the legal escalation, while vowing that the reporters are not being targeted by the administration.

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"Every administration has addressed the crime of leaking national security information. To the extent that we have to investigate breaches of national security, that's something that we will continue to do," a DOJ spokesperson said.

"To be clear, reporters are not the targets. Those leaking classified information are. 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 with that information, which means not sharing classified information," the statement continued.

"We recognize there may always be natural tension there, but we are not going to ignore the law and stop investigating the people who work in the administration and think it's okay to leak classified information impacting national security."