Trump administration subpoenas “NYT” journalists after report on plane

The president’s government Donald Trump (Republican Party) subpoenaed journalists from The New York Times after the publication of a report that questioned security of the new presidential plane donated by Qatar. According to the newspaper, the reporters will testify in New York on Wednesday (July 15, 2026) as part of an investigation into violations of federal criminal legislation.

“Our journalists get the facts straight and defend the American public’s right to know how the government is working and how taxpayers’ money is being spent.”said David McCraw, the newspaper’s attorney, in a statement.

According to him, “this brazen act must be seen as an attempt to prevent the population from knowing what is happening in the country, intimidating journalists so that they stop doing their work”.

The subpoenas were issued by federal prosecutor Jay Clayton. He was appointed in June by Trump to head the office of the director of National Intelligence.

The 4 journalists who signed the report –Julian E. Barnes, Eric Lipton, Tyler Pager and Eric Schmitt– were subpoenaed to testify.

The newspaper’s report states that Trump decided to leave Turkey after the end of the Turkey summit. I’ll take it (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) aboard its former presidential plane instead of the Boeing 747-8 donated by Qatar for security reasons.

The text says that the choice was made after a recommendation from the Secret Service, responsible for the security of the US president.

The newspaper said that, before the report was published, a high-ranking FBI official asked that the text not be published and claimed it was a matter of national security. According to the NOWhe requested that the sources of the report be revealed, which the vehicle refused to do.

PRESS CRITIQUES

Trump intensified criticism of reporters and media outlets us last few months.

In June, the president abruptly ended an interview with journalists from different outlets. In the same month, political commentators who present themselves as independent had their names included in the “Left Influencers” section within the “Media Offenders” page on the White House website.

The Republican has also filed lawsuits against reporters and press outlets. In 2025, Trump filed an action against the NOW by alleging defamation against his image.

The newspaper also took legal action against the government. In December, he sued the Department of Defense after it imposed restrictions on the work of professionals covering the US Armed Forces.