DOJ drops NYT subpoenas over Qatar jet reporting
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- DOJ withdrew subpoenas against NYT reporters over their reporting on Trump's Qatari-gifted Boeing 747-8, announced in a Thursday court hearing before U.S. District Judge Arun Subramanian.
- Subramanian reportedly grilled the Trump administration and "threatened our attorneys with sanctions unless subpoenas were withdrawn," per a DOJ spokesperson.
- The administration issued the subpoenas earlier this month, with agents delivering the orders to the reporters' homes — a tactic the Times called a "brazen effort to intimidate the press" with "glaring indications of bad faith."
- The New York Times moved to quash the subpoenas, arguing the government did not overcome the legal threshold to compel reporters to disclose confidential sources.
- The DOJ said the investigation "remains ongoing" and it will pursue "those threatening national security by leaking classified information, a serious federal crime."
- The withdrawal came on the eve of the rescheduled White House Correspondents' Association Dinner, where Trump is expected to speak.
Why it matters: The DOJ dropped the subpoenas only after the judge threatened sanctions, and the fight played out on the eve of the White House Correspondents' Association Dinner where Trump will appear. While the administration is framing the withdrawal as forced by the judge, the Times' lawyers had already argued the subpoenas showed "glaring indications of bad faith" — and the DOJ insists the investigation remains open, signaling potential future pressure on the press.
