FBI Subpoenas NYT Reporter Over North Korea SEAL Mission
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- Matthew Cole was subpoenaed by the FBI in February over his reporting on a secret 2019 Navy SEAL mission to North Korea that ended when SEALs opened fire on a North Korean boat; the FBI first visited his New York City residence, then sent the subpoena to his lawyer
- Cole collaborated with NYT national correspondent Dave Philipps on the September investigation into the mission, which aimed to plant an electronic bug to intercept North Korean communications
- The New York Times is providing legal defense for Cole, with attorney David A. O'Neil arguing Cole "will defend press freedom and the First Amendment from this administration's brazen attacks on journalists"
- The Trump administration has also subpoenaed NYT reporters over Air Force One security coverage — subpoenas that were withdrawn last week — and the Wall Street Journal in March over Pentagon warnings about the US-Israeli war against Iran
- Senators Alex Padilla and Adam Schiff publicly demanded information about the DOJ's use of subpoenas against Times journalists, calling it "seemingly directed by President Trump after he was upset by negative reporting"
- The Committee to Protect Journalists warned the subpoenas may have "a chilling effect on the work of journalists across the country," while the DOJ defended the practice as necessary to protect national security secrets
Why it matters: Three DOJ press subpoenas in roughly three months — against NYT over North Korea, NYT over Air Force One, and the Wall Street Journal over Iran war coverage — each targeted reporting the administration disliked. With Senate Democrats and press-freedom groups now formally challenging the pattern, the legal and political costs of this enforcement approach are rising in real time.
