The government withdrew its subpoenas against three New York Times reporters and their relatives on Thursday, halting an effort to identify the anonymous sources behind the paper’s reporting on President Donald Trump’s Qatari-gifted Air Force One jet.
Citing legal errors, the move came amid mounting legal opposition to the effort — and just weeks after the government backtracked similar subpoenas against the Wall Street Journal and Washington Post.
The Associated Press first reported the news.
According to the New York Times, the move came after Judge Arun Subramanian spent nearly an hour questioning Justice Department lawyers over subpoenas the newspaper sought to quash, arguing they were intended to intimidate its reporters. The judge said the department could issue new subpoenas if it followed the proper procedures.
As TheWrap previously reported, the Trump administration subpoenaed several New York Times reporters — and sought phone records tied to two of their spouses — in an effort to identify confidential sources behind reporting on security deficiencies involving the Qatari-gifted Boeing 747 that President Trump plans to use as Air Force One.
Grand jury subpoenas were delivered to the reporters one day after the Times published a report July 8 detailing shortcomings on the aircraft as the president changed his flight plans out of Turkey. The new jet, which Trump has enthusiastically touted as an upgrade to Air Force One, reportedly lacked defensive countermeasures found on the current fleet.
Lawyers for The Times asked the court to quash the subpoenas, arguing the government was attempting to force reporters to reveal confidential sources, according to a motion filed Saturday and unsealed Monday by U.S. District Judge Subramanian in Manhattan.
Prosecutors also sought information related to calls and messages on the phones of two reporters’ spouses, per the filing. The Times characterized the move as an escalation in the administration’s effort to identify the source of the leak.
