Trump administration subpoenas NYT journalists over Air Force One reporting

The Trump administration has issued subpoenas to several New York Times journalists, demanding they testify before a federal grand jury. The investigation stems from the newspaper's reporting on alleged security concerns surrounding President Donald Trump's new Air Force One aircraft.

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Reporters are not the targets, those leaking classified information are.

The New York Times published stories detailing that the new plane, gifted by Qatar, was not sufficiently secure. According to the reports, the Secret Service advised Trump to use an older plane for his return journey after a NATO summit in Turkey. The Justice Department, in response, stated that the investigation targets illegal leaks of classified information, not the reporters themselves.

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This is nothing more than an attempt to prevent the public from knowing what is happening in their country by intimidating journalists from doing their jobs.

David McCraw, the top newsroom lawyer for The New York Times, denounced the subpoenas as a "brazen act" and an effort to "prevent the public from knowing what is happening in their country by intimidating journalists from doing their jobs." The legal documents compel the reporters to appear before a grand jury in Manhattan, which examines evidence to determine if criminal charges should be filed.

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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 reporting by The New York Times, which cited unnamed sources, highlighted concerns that the newer Air Force One lacked advanced security features, such as antimissile capabilities. While speaking about classified information is a federal crime, the U.S. Constitution protects the press's freedom to report information deemed to be in the public interest. The Justice Department acknowledged the press's important role but stressed its own duty to safeguard national secrets.

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Our journalists report the facts and advance the American public's right to know how their government is operating and their taxpayer dollars are being used.