The Department of Justice withdrew subpoenas seeking testimony and phone records from four New York Times reporters in a leak probe tied to a Times article about President Trump’s travel after a NATO summit. The Times had reported Mr. Trump left Turkey on an older Air Force One rather than a new, Qatar-donated 747-8; Mr. Trump denied the report. New York Times counsel David McCraw called the withdrawal an affirmation of press freedom, while the DOJ previously defended the subpoenas as part of enforcing national-security leak laws.
DOJ Withdraws Subpoenas Targeting New York Times Reporters After Leak Probe Over Air Force One Story
New York Times headquarters in Manhattan.
The Department of Justice on Thursday withdrew subpoenas it had issued for New York Times reporters as part of a leak investigation tied to a Times article about President Donald Trump's travel from the NATO summit in Turkey.
The Department of Justice withdrew its subpoenas targeting New York Times journalists as part of its leak probe.
The subpoenas, which sought grand jury testimony and phone records, named four Times journalists: Tyler Pager, Julian Barnes, Eric Schmitt and Eric Lipton. The inquiry followed a Times report that said Mr. Trump departed the NATO summit aboard his older presidential plane rather than the newer, Qatar-donated Boeing 747-8 he had arrived in — an account the president denied.
The New York Times reported that President Donald Trump flew out of the NATO summit in Turkey with the old Air Force One instead of the Qatar-gifted jet due to security concerns.
The Times cited anonymous sources for the article, prompting DOJ prosecutors to investigate who provided the sensitive information. Critics argued the subpoenas risked chilling press freedom and raised First Amendment concerns; the paper said the government ultimately conceded the subpoenas violated the law.
President Donald Trump greets security forces members at RAF Mildenhall in Suffolk, Britain, after arriving to switch to the Qatari-gifted Air Force One following his participation in a NATO leaders summit in Turkey, July 8, 2026.
"Today's proceeding was an important affirmation of our country's commitment to a free press," New York Times Senior Vice President and Deputy General Counsel David McCraw said in a statement. "We are pleased that the government finally conceded that the subpoenas violated the law, but they should never have been issued in the first place."
The Justice Department did not immediately respond to requests for comment. When the subpoenas were first issued, DOJ representatives defended the legal actions as part of enforcing laws that prohibit unauthorized disclosures of national security information and said the reporters themselves were not the targets of the criminal probe.
The dispute underscores the recurring tension between legitimate national-security investigations and protections for newsgathering. Observers say the case will likely remain a touchstone for debates over how far investigators can go to identify government leaks without unduly restricting press freedoms.
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