Donald Trump’s Justice Department will drop subpoenas issued to New York Times reporters who reported on security concerns about the president flying on Qatar-issued Air Force One, prosecutors said in a court hearing on Thursday.
The subpoena issued by Manhattan U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton on July 10 is the latest example of the Trump administration seeking to compel reporters to reveal their sources, part of what critics describe as the president’s massive pressure campaign against the media.
U.S. District Judge Arun Subramanian has stayed the execution of the subpoenas pending a hearing on Thursday, which is scheduled to begin at 2 p.m. in Manhattan federal court.
Prosecutors have asked Subramanian to suspend the subpoenas for two weeks because the next steps in the investigation could affect his decision, while the Times has asked the judge to throw them out.
Clayton, Trump’s pick to be the next US intelligence director, made the call after the Times reported that Trump left Turkey on an old Air Force One because the new plane provided by Qatar lacked a missile and other defenses.
The reports cited anonymous sources and came as a ceasefire collapsed in the US-Israel war against Iran.
