New York Times seeks to block subpoenas to reporters over Air Force One reporting

• The New York Times filed a motion to block subpoenas to three reporters about their Air Force One story, calling them a bad-faith attempt to punish the paper.
• The subpoenas were issued to identify sources leaking sensitive national security information, not to target the reporters, said the Acting Attorney-General.
• The Times seeks to make its court filing public, emphasising the public's right to information on the case involving the new Qatari-donated Air Force One's security features.

WASHINGTON – The New York Times has filed a court motion to block federal grand jury subpoenas to three of its journalists over their reporting on President Donald Trump’s new Qatari-donated Air Force One, a spokesperson said on July 15.

Jay Clayton, the US Attorney in Manhattan, issued the subpoenas on July 10, shortly after the New York Times reported that the new Air Force One lacked some of the security features of the older aircraft.

The newspaper’s reporters were ordered to appear on July 15 before a grand jury panel in Manhattan federal court.

“As we set out in our motion, these subpoenas are brought in bad faith to punish The Times for its coverage,” David McCraw, senior vice-president and deputy general counsel of the New York Times, said in a statement.

“We are going to court to defend our journalists’ rights to report freely on the administration and to provide the public with stories that matter.”

Acting Attorney-General Todd Blanche told a US Senate panel on July 15 that the reporters were not targets of an investigation, but the subpoenas were aimed at identifying people who leaked sensitive national security information.

McCraw has asked the court to make public the newspaper’s filing, which remains under seal.

The news outlet, he said, “believes that the public has a right to information about this case”. REUTERS