President Donald Trump’s latest leak hunt against The New York Times is deeply personal. Reporters at The New York Times received subpoenas referencing an alleged violation of federal criminal law just two days after they published a story contradicting Trump’s claims about the new Qatari-gifted Air Force One.
Background
Journalists involved in the matter strongly suspect that the subpoenas were rushed out in response to Trump’s anger about the news coverage. The court orders compel the reporters to testify before a grand jury about their anonymous sources, though The Times will fight to stop that from happening.
The Justice Department said it is not targeting reporters; it is pursuing the leakers of classified information. However, the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press pointed out that the Justice Department maintains a policy that prosecutors pursue non-media leads before seeking to compel testimony from journalists through subpoenas.
First Amendment Concerns
Renowned First Amendment attorney Floyd Abrams told CNN that the situation highlights several crucial follow-up storylines, including the wisdom of the President in accepting the ‘gift’ plane and the safety of the president after deciding to accept it. Abrams also noted that the reporting last week and the fight over the subpoenas raise important questions about the President’s candor and the administration’s claims about the plane’s safety.
Original reporting: KEYT (Ventura/Santa Barbara) — read the source article.
