Overview
- Prosecutors withdrew grand‑jury subpoenas and third‑party phone‑record demands that sought testimony and call data from several New York Times reporters in a leak probe tied to reporting on a Qatari‑donated presidential jet.
- A federal judge has ordered the Justice Department to turn over internal messages about its decision to seek a non‑disclosure order and whether the subpoenas should have identified the record owners as reporters.
- The department asked for more time to produce those materials and cited privilege and legal issues, requesting to respond by August 7, 2026.
- Newly unsealed filings show Google was served with a gagged subpoena for subscriber information, a gag order the court vacated after Google challenged it.
- The episode has sharpened scrutiny of DOJ leak‑investigation practices because reporting and filings indicate prosecutors treated the matter as a “potential leak” and it is unclear whether the usual formal referral and vetting steps were completed, a point that raises oversight and press‑freedom concerns.