The Justice Department said Thursday it would withdraw subpoenas seeking phone records and grand jury testimony from New York Times journalists who reported on the security capabilities of President Donald Trump’s new Qatari-donated Air Force One jet.
“The government is prepared to unilaterally withdraw the subpoenas at this time,” Sean Buckley, a senior official in the U.S. attorney’s office in Manhattan, said during a hearing in U.S. District Court.
President Donald Trump speaks to reporters before boarding Air Force One, Wednesday, July 1, 2026, at Joint Base Andrews, Md. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)
" data-large-file="https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/AP26182471446767.jpg?w=696" src="https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/AP26182471446767.jpg?w=696" alt="President Donald Trump speaks to reporters before boarding Air Force One, Wednesday, July 1, 2026, at Joint Base Andrews." class="wp-image-4632519" srcset="https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/AP26182471446767.jpg 1024w, https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/AP26182471446767.jpg?resize=300,200 300w, https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/AP26182471446767.jpg?resize=768,512 768w, https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/AP26182471446767.jpg?resize=150,100 150w, https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/AP26182471446767.jpg?resize=696,464 696w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px">
President Donald Trump speaks to reporters before boarding Air Force One on Wednesday, July 1, 2026, at Joint Base Andrews, Maryland. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)
The decision to withdraw the subpoenas, which were issued on July 11, came after U.S. District Judge Arun Subramanian, an appointee of former President Joe Biden, questioned DOJ lawyers for nearly an hour about their handling of the subpoenas. The New York Times had asked the court to quash them, describing the demands as an attempt to intimidate its reporters.
Subramanian said the withdrawal would not prevent the DOJ from issuing new subpoenas to the journalists if prosecutors followed the appropriate procedures.
DOJ SUBPOENAS NEW YORK TIMES JOURNALISTS INVOLVED IN AIR FORCE ONE REPORTING
The subpoenas stemmed from an article published this month speculating on why Trump departed a NATO summit in Turkey aboard an older presidential aircraft, instead of flying in the new Qatari-gifted plane, which he had used to travel to the summit.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
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[ H/T Washington Examiner ]
