DOJ withdraws subpoenas to NY Times reporters in Trump plane probe - CNBC

What the report says

CNBC reported that the Department of Justice has withdrawn subpoenas seeking grand jury testimony and phone records from New York Times journalists connected to a story about security concerns involving President Donald Trump’s new Air Force One aircraft. Prosecutors disclosed the withdrawal Thursday during a hearing in U.S. District Court in Manhattan, where Judge Arun Subramanian was considering the newspaper’s request to block the subpoenas.

According to CNBC, the subpoenas were tied to a national security leak investigation following a July 8 Times report that Trump traveled from Turkey on the older Air Force One rather than a Boeing 747-8 donated by Qatar, due to security concerns connected to renewed hostilities with Iran. The Times had also reported that the newer plane lacked some security features found on the older aircraft. The subpoenas were issued by Manhattan U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton, whom Trump has nominated for director of national intelligence, and authorized by Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche, Trump’s nominee for attorney general.

CNBC cited court proceedings and reporting from MS NOW indicating that Subramanian warned prosecutors he would quash the subpoenas if the government did not withdraw them. In a court order, the judge noted the DOJ’s voluntary withdrawal and said prosecutors must come to the court before issuing any renewed subpoenas.

The Times’ deputy general counsel David McCraw said the action affirmed press freedom and argued the subpoenas should not have been issued. A DOJ spokesperson told CNBC the judge had blocked a lawful investigative step and said the leak probe remains ongoing. The dispute matters because federal rules and precedent require heightened steps before prosecutors seek information from journalists, reflecting First Amendment concerns in criminal investigations.