Overview
- Federal prosecutors in Manhattan issued subpoenas on Friday to five New York Times reporters that seek to compel their testimony before a grand jury and were in some cases delivered to reporters at their homes.
- The subpoenas follow Times articles that said the Qatari‑donated Boeing 747 lacked some defensive countermeasures, including advanced antimissile capabilities, which prompted the administration to use the older government plane for certain trips.
- The Justice Department says reporters are not the targets and that the probe aims to identify leakers of classified or sensitive information, while the Times says the FBI asked it to delay publication and to disclose sources before the story ran.
- The Times has vowed to fight the subpoenas in court, a legal battle that will test weak federal protections for journalists and could force reporters to choose between testifying or facing contempt and possible jail time.
- Press groups and news organizations called the move an unprecedented escalation that could chill investigative reporting, and coverage notes the subpoenas came after White House meetings involving top DOJ and FBI officials and follow earlier 2026 policy changes broadening prosecutors' power in leak probes.