Trump administration subpoenas NYT reporter over North Korea story

The U.S. Justice Department is under fire for its increasing use of subpoenas to compel journalists to reveal their sources. The New York Times has reported that the Trump administration has targeted another journalist, freelance reporter Matthew Cole, with a subpoena over his reporting on a secret military operation in North Korea.

Cole, along with the Times's national correspondent Dave Philipps, investigated a covert 2019 mission where U.S. Navy SEALs reportedly landed on North Korean shores to plant an electronic bug. The mission allegedly fell apart when the SEALs encountered a North Korean boat and opened fire.

FBI agents attempted to deliver the subpoena to Cole's New York City residence in February. When he was not home, it was sent to his lawyer. The Times cited anonymous sources familiar with the matter. This legal move is the latest in a series of aggressive court actions by the Trump administration aimed at cracking down on suspected government leaks.

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will defend press freedom and the First Amendment from this administration’s brazen attacks on journalists, and he will honor his commitment to his sources.

The New York Times is providing legal defense for Cole. Lawyer David A. O'Neil, who has represented the newspaper in past cases, is defending Cole. O'Neil stated that Cole "will defend press freedom and the First Amendment from this administration’s brazen attacks on journalists, and he will honor his commitment to his sources." Times spokesperson Charlie Stadtlander echoed this, calling the subpoena "part of the government’s escalating attacks on journalists" and a "brazen and illegal attack... designed to deny the public information of vital importance."

This revelation comes months after the subpoena was issued and follows a recent incident where the Trump administration subpoenaed several Times journalists over reporting on security concerns with the president's new Air Force One jet. Those subpoenas were later withdrawn. In March, The Wall Street Journal and its reporters also received subpoenas concerning an article about Pentagon warnings regarding the U.S.-Israeli war against Iran.

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part of the government’s escalating attacks on journalists. The demand that he disclose his sources is another brazen and illegal attack from the administration designed to deny the public information of vital importance.