The Justice Department issued subpoenas on Friday, July 11th, 2026, to several New York Times journalists after the paper reported on security concerns involving former President Donald Trump's new Qatari-donated Air Force One. These subpoenas, in some cases delivered by federal agents at reporters' homes, seek to compel testimony before a federal grand jury in Manhattan scheduled for Wednesday, July 16th, 2026.

The subpoenas were issued by Jay Clayton, U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York and nominee for director of national intelligence. The Times reported that last year, Qatar gifted Trump a luxury Boeing 747-8 to replace Air Force One, which he retained after leaving office.

Security concerns reportedly persisted, as The Times noted that when Trump left a NATO summit in Turkey, he switched back to the original Air Force One as a precaution related to renewed hostilities with Iran. This switch was made on the advice of the Secret Service and not due to a specific threat.

New York Times deputy general counsel David McCraw condemned the subpoenas, stating, "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."

Stephen J., a representative for the Times, added, "When the public's right to know is crushed, as the Trump administration is trying to do with its subpoenas against The New York Times, all of us suffer irreparable harm, as does the freedom upon which this nation is built."

This is not the first time the Trump administration has aggressively pursued leaks; during his first term, it seized phone records of four Times journalists in an apparent effort to identify sources related to classified information about then-FBI Director James Comey.

The government has stated that the reporters are not targets of the investigation, though such subpoenas may still have a chilling effect on the press.

Sources