Overview
- Justice Department lawyers issued grand‑jury subpoenas this spring that would have forced testimony from Washington Post national security reporter Ellen Nakashima and three Wall Street Journal journalists but rescinded those orders earlier this month after the newsrooms challenged them in sealed proceedings in the Eastern District of Virginia.
- None of the reporters were made to testify before the grand jury because the subpoenas were withdrawn while motions to quash were pending in federal court.
- Reporting and officials say the subpoenas were tied to leak investigations into national security coverage, including reporting on the Iran conflict and Pentagon leaks.
- CNN and other outlets reported that President Trump personally pushed Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche to pursue the subpoenas, an allegation that raises questions about political pressure on prosecutorial decisions.
- Press groups note the retreat is fragile because an April DOJ policy rollback removed prior protections for journalists’ records and expanded prosecutors’ tools in leak probes, leaving reporters at continued legal and personal risk.