WASHINGTON, July 12 (DC Times Online) — The Justice Department has subpoenaed four New York Times journalists to testify before a Manhattan federal grand jury in a leak investigation tied to reporting on President Donald Trump’s new Air Force One aircraft, while saying the reporters are not the targets of the inquiry.
The newspaper identified the journalists as Eric Lipton, Julian E. Barnes, Tyler Pager and Eric Schmitt. The subpoenas were issued Friday and sought testimony the following Wednesday, the Times reported.
According to the Times, federal agents delivered some of the subpoenas directly to reporters’ homes.
A DOJ spokesperson told Fox News Digital that the department is pursuing people accused of leaking classified information, not the journalists who reported on the matter. The spokesperson said the department would continue to investigate breaches of national security and officials who leak classified information affecting it.
The reporting at issue centers on a newly retrofitted Boeing 747-8 given to Trump by Qatar, which the Times said took its inaugural flight earlier this month.
