The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) withdrew subpoenas on Thursday, July 24, 2026, that it had previously filed against New York Times journalists involved in a leak investigation. The subpoenas sought grand jury testimony and phone records of reporters Tyler Pager, Julian Barnes, Eric Schmitt, and Eric Lipton, all credited on a report revealing that President Donald Trump flew home from Turkey on his old Air Force One rather than the new Boeing 747-8 jet donated by Qatar. The report, published earlier in July, cited anonymous sources and claimed the switch was due to security concerns, a point President Trump denied.

The leak probe was initiated by the DOJ to identify those who provided sensitive information to the Times journalists. The New York Times Senior Vice President and Deputy General Counsel David McCraw described the withdrawal as "an important affirmation of our country’s commitment to a free press."

A DOJ spokesperson emphasized the department's dual role, stating, "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 story also included expert discussions on intelligence reports alleging an Iranian assassination plot against President Trump, highlighting differences in security between the Qatar-donated jet and the older presidential aircraft.

Sources