Donald Trump’s Justice Department will withdraw subpoenas issued to journalists from New York Times (NYT)Prosecutors said this at a hearing on Thursday.
The Justice Department issued subpoenas demanding that NYT journalists disclose sources who contributed to one of the newspaper’s reports on security concerns regarding the president flew on Air Force One, donated by Qatar.
The luxury jet lacked certain safety measures, including missile defense, the report said.
The Trump administration, in turn, said that the New York Times’ coverage of the events posed a “significant threat to national security.”
Lawyers representing the newspaper have challenged the Trump administration’s requests for journalists’ phone records and grand jury testimony, calling them an attempt to intimidate the press.
At a hearing before District Judge Arun Subramanian, federal prosecutors agreed to “unilaterally withdraw the subpoenas at this time,” the NYT reported.
Critics said the donated plane could violate strict rules on gifts to U.S. presidents (FILE: June 2026)Image: Brendan Smialowski/AFP
NYT: Government ‘violated the First Amendment’
NYT lawyers said the actions “violate the most fundamental provisions of the First Amendment protecting newsgathering activities.”
“They represent the latest salvo in a growing series of attacks on journalists designed to intimidate them into not participating in reporting that the Trump administration openly abhors,” the lawyers added.
Reporters Without Borders (RSF) welcomed the conclusion of the case, saying it represents a victory not only for The New York Times but for “every journalist who relies on confidential sources to report on events in the public interest.”
“The court confirmed that the government cannot use its legal powers to intimidate reporters or undermine the independence of the press,” RSF said.
Donald Trump’s new Air Force One raises safety concerns
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What did the NYT say about the new Air Force One?
The controversial plane was a gift from the Qatari royal family to Trump last year.
The journalists’ stories were prompted by the fact that Trump, who flew to Turkey earlier this month on the new Air Force One, left the country on one of the older Air Force One planes, which took him to a Royal Air Force base in England.
From there, the President boarded the new Air Force One and headed back to the United States.
In his reports New York Times said the Secret Service called for such a transition in Turkey amid security concerns stemming from the collapse of a shaky ceasefire agreement with neighboring Iran.
Reports say the new Air Force One lacks some of the older planes’ sophisticated safety features, such as missile defense.
Trump has denied that security concerns were a factor in his use of two different planes.
Editor: Sean Sinico and Carl Sexton
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