The Justice Department said on Thursday it would withdraw subpoenas issued to several New York Times reporters over their coverage of security concerns tied to a newly gifted Air Force One aircraft from Qatar. The decision was announced during a hearing in a Manhattan federal court, where Judge Arun Subramanian was considering a motion by the newspaper to quash the subpoenas. Sean Buckley, chief counsel to U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton, told the court that the government was prepared to withdraw the requests at that stage. “The government is prepared to unilaterally withdraw the subpoenas at this time,” Buckley said during the hearing in U.S. District Court, according to the New York Times. Subpoenas for Grand Jury TestimonyFour Times journalists — Julian E. Barnes, Eric Lipton, Tyler Pager and Eric Schmitt — were served with subpoenas on 10 July. The notices sought to compel their testimony before a federal grand jury. According to the newspaper, the Department of Justice also sought phone and text message records from the reporters, and in some cases records linked to members of their families. Court Dispute Over Press FreedomThe case arose as the Trump administration sought to identify confidential government sources who had spoken to reporters about the security features of the donated aircraft, a step critics said could deter press reporting and suppress unfavourable coverage. In a court filing, lawyers for the Times argued the subpoenas were aimed at harassment and intimidation. They said the subpoenas were issued in what they described as a bad faith effort to retaliate against members of the press for reporting on matters the President found embarrassing. The Times, through its motion to quash, sought to stop the subpoenas being enforced. First Amendment Arguments and Prosecutors’ ResponseAt the hearing, Buckley said in an earlier letter to the judge that the First Amendment does not prevent journalists from being compelled to appear before a grand jury to answer questions, including questions about their knowledge of alleged criminal conduct, even where the questions could relate to the identities of sources. Prosecutors from the Southern District of New York had previously asked Subramanian to pause enforcement of the subpoenas for two weeks while they pursued additional investigative steps. The Times had also argued that the subpoenas were not issued following the required legal procedures and internal Justice Department regulations. Prosecutors disputed that, calling the claims inaccurate. Buckley wrote that, without disclosing classified or other sensitive information, the reporters’ arguments were incorrect in asserting, for instance, that the investigation lacked a proper basis and that no investigative steps had been taken before the subpoenas were issued. He said prosecutors considered “among other things, the underlying national security equities at stake”. Reporting on Air Force One SecurityThe Times reported earlier in July that President Trump had used the older Air Force One when leaving the NATO summit in Turkey due to a security precaution linked to the war with Iran. In later reporting, the journalists said the new aircraft lacked “defensive countermeasures” found on older models, including advanced anti-missile capabilities. The newspaper said it relied on information from multiple officials who had been briefed on retrofitting. In a prior statement to The Hill, the Justice Department said the reporters were not its targets, referring instead to people who were leaking classified information. A spokesperson said the administration would continue to investigate those who leak classified material affecting national security. Join the discussion? 24 July 2026
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