The Trump administration has issued several subpoenas for journalists who work for the extremely left-wing publication, The New York Times, over their report about security concerns involving President Donald Trump’s new Air Force One aircraft, the paper revealed. The administration’s legal action comes after the brand new jet, which is a retrofitted Boeing 747-8 given to the president by Qatar, took its inaugural flight earlier in July 2026.
The journalists who received subpoenas include Eric Lipton, Julian E. Barnes, Tyler Pager, and Eric Schmitt. The documents require those who received them to provide testimony before a grand jury in a federal court located in Manhattan, the report said. The Times then revealed that federal agents actually delivered some of the subpoenas directly to the reporters’ homes.
“The appearance of federal law enforcement agents on the doorstep of news reporters should shock the conscience of any American who believes in the Constitution and the press freedom it protects,” David McCraw, the Times’ top lawyer, went on to say in a statement. President of the NewsGuild of New York, Susan DeCarava, which represents the Times, slammed the administration for their actions.
“We support our members to the fullest in the fight to protect the integrity of their reporting and their ability to do their jobs,” DeCarava said in a statement, according to Fox News. “A free and independent press is essential to the functioning of a democratic society. Representing the only industry specifically named in the Constitution, it is our job as the union of journalists and media workers to protect our members’ ability to shine a light in the dark corners of our democracy and to serve as a necessary check on government power.”
Trump flew aboard the new aircraft earlier in July to attend a NATO summit in Turkey, however he later left for the Mildenhall Royal Air Force Base located in Suffolk, England, on an older Air Force One plane. The NY Times reported that the last-minute plane swap was made due to recommendations by the Secret Service, adding that the $400 million retrofitted jet did not have specific security and countermeasure technology.
The switch also took place as the United States launched more airstrikes on Iran and Tehran after a ceasefire agreement made with the Middle Eastern nation fell apart, leading to questions about the jet because of a shared border between Turkey and Iran. President Trump waved off any security concerns with the new plane, posting about the switch on his Truth Social account.
Trump said that the Mildenhall stop was made so that service members stationed at the base could take a look at the new aircraft. When the president was asked on the flight if the plane swap was made due to security concerns, he replied, “I have a threat all the time. I’m number one on their list.” The Justice Department released a statement to Fox, doubling down on their legal actions against the reporters, stating the individuals were not being targeted.
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“Every administration has addressed the crime of leaking national security information. To the extent that we have to investigate breaches of national security, that’s something that we will continue to do,” a DOJ spokesperson told the press. “To be clear, reporters are not the targets. Those leaking classified information are,” the spokesperson continued.
“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 statement said. “We recognize there may always be natural tension there, but we are not going to ignore the law and stop investigating the people who work in the administration and think it’s okay to leak classified information impacting national security.”