Washington DC - President Donald Trump and his administration recently subpoenaed a number of journalists for reporting about security concerns surrounding his gifted Qatari jet.
According to The New York Times, the Department of Justice subpoenaed four of the outlet's reporters – Julian Barnes, Eric Lipton, Tyler Pager, and Eric Schmitt – on Friday
The department seeks to force them to testify before a federal grand jury in Manhattan on Wednesday "in regard to an alleged violation of federal criminal law."
Their efforts center around the journalists reporting that Trump recently departed Turkey on his old Air Force One plane instead of his new Qatari-gifted jet as a security precaution at the urging of the Secret Service.
In a statement, The Times adamantly vowed to fight the subpoenas, noting that some of the reporters were given their subpoenas by federal agents who visited their homes.
"The appearance of federal law enforcement agents on the doorstep of news reporters should shock the conscience of any American who believes in the Constitution and the press freedom it protects," said David McCraw, The Times's top newsroom lawyer.
"Our journalists report the facts and advance the American public’s right to know how their government is operating, and their taxpayer dollars are being used," he continued.
"This brazen act should be seen as nothing more than an attempt to prevent the public from knowing what is happening in their country by intimidating journalists from doing their jobs," McCraw added.
Donald Trump's war with the media
Since taking office for his second term, President Trump has aggressively targeted a number of news outlets and media figures who are critical of him. Federal agencies have used legal means to force them into submission.
In some cases, Trump has even (at times successfully) called for such critical shows to be canceled by media networks.
After the Qatari royal family gifted Trump the $400 million jet in May 2025, Trump threatened to sue ABC News – which broke the story – for writing that he was given the plane, instead of saying that it was donated to the Defense Department.
Sources recently told CNN that Trump has been "fuming" over the reports about the jet, as he is "embarrassed and angry" that the public knows about the plane not being securely equipped enough to be flown.