Trump Defends NYT Subpoenas as Judge Demands DOJ Records
The Justice Department withdrew subpoenas targeting New York Times reporters after a judge threatened sanctions, but officials vowed to continue investigating leaks about Trump's aircraft security protocols.
President Donald Trump delivered forceful remarks from the Oval Office defending the aggressive leak probe, as Kaelan Deese reports in Washington Examiner. We’re after people that are cowards, people that are unpatriotic, people that are treasonous in many cases, Trump told reporters, emphasizing that the target is leakers, not journalists themselves.
The criminal investigation centers on unauthorized disclosures regarding Trump’s presidential aircraft and security protocols. The probe was sparked by New York Times reporting earlier this month that questioned why the president departed a NATO summit in Turkey using an older Air Force One plane rather than the newer Qatari-donated aircraft he had flown in on.
News organizations including the Times reported that the newer presidential jet lacked critical defensive countermeasures designed to protect against missile threats and other dangers. Federal officials contended at the time that such reporting created serious national security risks, given that Trump, senior administration figures, and members of the press corps had been traveling through foreign airspace during ongoing hostilities with an adversary nation.
A Justice Department spokesperson told Washington Examiner that Judge Arun Subramanian threatened government attorneys with sanctions unless they pulled back the subpoenas, while simultaneously blocking prosecutors from presenting evidence of their careful investigative methods. The spokesperson emphasized that the grand jury maintained the right to hear testimony from material witnesses.
The department made clear its determination to press forward despite the setback. The investigation remains active, with officials vowing to pursue criminal charges against those who compromise national security through classified information leaks, which constitute serious federal offenses.
Judge Subramanian on Friday ordered the Justice Department to produce internal communications related to its attempt to secretly obtain records as part of the leak investigation. Prosecutors must submit these materials by Monday on an ex parte basis, including communications about the decision to seek a non-disclosure order and whether the application should have identified the records’ owners as journalists.
The order followed contentious court proceedings Thursday during which Subramanian challenged the accuracy of the DOJ’s application. Government attorneys conceded they inadvertently included language characterizing the investigation as nonpublic, despite its existence already being publicly known.
The Justice Department withdrew subpoenas seeking phone records, text messages, and grand jury testimony from New York Times journalists Julian E. Barnes, Eric Lipton, Tyler Pager, and Eric Schmitt after Subramanian indicated he would quash them.
Newly unsealed court records Friday also revealed that Google received a subpoena for subscriber information tied to a specific phone number, along with a non-disclosure order preventing the company from notifying the subscriber. Google contested the order, leading Subramanian to vacate it.
Trump articulated his position on how such investigations should proceed, arguing that when national security matters are involved, journalists should be required to identify their sources. He suggested those who refuse could face potential criminal charges, citing a similar stance he took in January 2023 after the Supreme Court failed to identify who leaked the draft opinion overturning Roe v. Wade.
The president indicated Friday that the case has significant ground yet to cover, signaling the administration’s intention to pursue the matter aggressively despite judicial obstacles.
With information from Washington Examiner
