The Department of Justice withdrew subpoenas it issued to reporters from The New York Times over reports that President Donald Trump switched from the new Air Force One to the old Air Force One on a trip home from Turkey over security concerns. File Photo by John Angelillo/UPI | License Photo
The Department of Justice on Thursday agreed in court to withdraw subpoenas it sent to three journalists at the New York Times to force them to reveal their sources.
The Justice Department “unilaterally” withdrew the subpoenas after U.S. District Judge Arun Subramanian threatened to quash them if it did not do so, ABC News and The New York Times reported.
The department issued the subpoenas on July 10 over The Times’ reports on the new Qatari-gifted Air Force One after security concerns caused President Donald Trump to travel home from Turkey on the old Air Force One.
Trump ordered the FBI to investigate the journalists, leading Kash Patel to seek subpoenas to force the reporters to reveal the government sources anonymously quoted in their reporting, including for them to provide phone and text message records.
Sean Buckley, from the U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York’s office, told Subramanian that “upon further consideration, the government is prepared unilaterally to withdraw the subpoenas at this time.
He told the judge that the department had skipped required initial investigative steps before serving the subpoenas, calling it “an error… which we own.”
Subramanian rebuked Buckley, asking whether the government’s action had turned “the law and regulations on it head.”
“Subpoenas are the last step, not the first step,” Subramanian said. “It’s a basic matter of compliance with the law.”
In a statement after the hearing, the Justice Department said that it had withdrawn the subpoenas because “this judge threatened our attorneys with sanctions” if they had not done so.
The department added that its investigation “remains ongoing” as it pursues charges against those it alleges have threatened “national security by leaking classified information” for a swath of reporting this year based on unnamed sources within the Trump administration.
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Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth speaks during a Senate Appropriations Committee hearing on President Donald Trump’s June 24 supplemental funding request at the U.S. Capitol on Tuesday. Photo by Bonnie Cash/UPI | License Photo
