The US Department of Justice has issued legal demands to several journalists after they reported on a major security issue involving the nation's leader. Federal agents unexpectedly visited the homes of newsroom staff following a tense meeting at the White House over how sensitive information reached the public.
While the government insists its focus is on tracking down the insider who shared classified files, media advocates warn the move marks an alarming threat to free speech.
DOJ Investigation Targets Air Force One Leak
A Department of Justice investigation into leaked information has led to multiple New York Times reporters being ordered to testify about their reporting on the newly acquired, Qatari-gifted presidential jet. The move has significantly escalated President Donald Trump's long-running battle with the press.
The US ally's gift — a $400 million retrofitted jet — only went into service last week, yet Trump chose not to fly it home from the NATO summit in Turkey. Instead, he boarded an older Air Force One model, later claiming that Iranian threats had forced him to switch planes.
Questions Over President Trump's Plane Security
Trump originally arrived in Ankara on the newly introduced Boeing 747-8. However, by Wednesday, he had switched aircraft, boarding an older Air Force One model to fly to RAF Mildenhall in Suffolk.
The sudden aircraft change followed the breakdown of a delicate ceasefire with Iran, a collapse that triggered US airstrikes and retaliatory Iranian strikes on three Gulf nations. With Ankara bordering Tehran, rumours quickly spread that the newly acquired jet lacked the advanced security features needed to handle the heightened threat.
Federal agents have served subpoenas to several New York Times journalists as part of an investigation into the alleged disclosure of sensitive information about the new Air Force One.
— One America News (@OANN) July 11, 2026
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Relying on confidential contacts, the Times reported that the Secret Service had pushed for the last-minute swap because the newer jet lacked the sophisticated defences of its predecessor, specifically an anti-missile system.
Trump Denies Security Concerns
Trump dismissed the security concerns entirely, claiming on social media that he had only stopped at Mildenhall to show off the new jet to the troops stationed there. He also spoke to reporters on board the flight, flatly denying that Iranian threats had played any part in the decision to fly two separate planes home.
When asked whether he knew of any specific plots against Air Force One, Trump replied: 'I have a threat all the time. I'm No. 1 on their list.'
Reporters Ordered to Testify
According to the Times, federal agents went so far as to deliver the court mandates directly to the reporters' homes, ordering them to testify before a Manhattan grand jury next week.
The legal demands followed a Friday meeting at the White House, where FBI Director Kash Patel and Justice Department officials gathered to discuss the leak, according to an anonymous source close to the talks. The Times also revealed that a senior FBI official had phoned a reporter and editor before the first story was published, urging them to spike the piece over national security concerns.
Press Freedom Concerns Intensify
While the FBI official would not go into detail about the risks, they did pressure the Times to hand over its informants — a demand the newspaper flatly rejected.
Condemning the move, Times lawyer David McCraw stated: 'The appearance of federal law enforcement agents on the doorstep of news reporters should shock the conscience of any American who believes in the Constitution and the press freedom it protects.'
Weighing in on the escalation, Bruce D Brown, president of the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press, warned that Trump's 'war on the press is looking for another victim'.
The Justice Department quickly pushed back against the criticism, clarifying that investigators are hunting down the insiders responsible for leaking classified information rather than targeting the journalists themselves.
