DOJ subpoenas NYT over Air Force One leak

The U.S. Department of Justice issued subpoenas to four New York Times journalists—Julian E. Barnes, Eric Lipton, Tyler Pager, and Eric Schmitt—after they reported on security concerns about President Donald Trump's new Air Force One, a Boeing 747-8 donated by Qatar and retrofitted at a cost of $400 million. The reports, citing anonymous sources, stated that the Secret Service urged Trump to use an older Air Force One when departing Turkey after a NATO summit due to the new plane lacking advanced security features, including anti-missile capabilities, amid heightened tensions with Iran. The subpoenas, issued by U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton, compel the journalists to testify before a federal grand jury in Manhattan. The Times condemned the move as an attack on press freedom. The Justice Department stated it is targeting leakers of classified information, not the reporters. The subpoenas follow similar actions against The Washington Post and The Wall Street Journal earlier in the year, which were later withdrawn. Advocacy groups including the National Press Club and the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press criticized the subpoenas as an assault on the First Amendment.