US Justice Department withdraws NYT subpoenas over Qatari jet reporting after judge's scrutiny

## Background On July 10, Manhattan U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton, whom President Trump has nominated to be the next director of national intelligence, issued subpoenas to New York Times journalists. The subpoenas sought phone records and grand jury testimony related to reporting that Trump departed Turkey on the older Air Force One because a newly donated Qatari plane lacked antimissile and other defensive systems. The articles, based on anonymous sources, were published as a ceasefire collapsed in the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran. The Justice Department later argued that the coverage raised a "substantial national security concern" about leaks of classified national defense information while the president was flying amid hostilities with a foreign adversary, an apparent reference to Iran.

The hearing and withdrawal

U.S. District Judge Arun Subramanian had paused enforcement of the subpoenas pending a hearing on Thursday at 2 p.m. ET in Manhattan federal court. During the hearing, prosecutors initially asked the judge to put the subpoenas on hold for two weeks, citing ongoing investigative steps. The Times urged the court to quash them entirely. After Judge Subramanian questioned government lawyers for nearly an hour, Sean Buckley, a senior official in the U.S. attorney's office, announced the withdrawal.

The government is prepared to unilaterally withdraw the subpoenas at this time.

The judge noted that the Justice Department could reissue the subpoenas if it followed appropriate procedures.

Legal arguments

The Times contended that the subpoenas were designed to harass and intimidate journalists, in violation of the First Amendment. The newspaper also alleged that the Justice Department violated its own internal policies, which require high-level approval for subpoenas against reporters and treat such steps as rare. Prosecutors rejected those claims, arguing that the First Amendment does not exempt reporters from providing essential information in criminal investigations. They emphasized the national security stakes, pointing to the sensitivity of details about the president's aircraft defenses.

Press freedom context

The subpoenas are part of what press advocates describe as a broader pressure campaign by the Trump administration against independent media. The administration has previously targeted the Washington Post and the Wall Street Journal with subpoenas and search warrants. While both Republican and Democratic administrations have sought to compel journalists to disclose sources in leak investigations, critics say the current administration has used such tools more aggressively. The Times called the subpoenas an effort to intimidate its reporters.

What's next

With the subpoenas withdrawn, the immediate legal confrontation ends, but the judge's ruling leaves the door open for future subpoenas if the government complies with proper procedures. The case underscores the ongoing friction between the White House and the press over national security reporting, particularly concerning the president's travel and the capabilities of the Qatari-donated aircraft.