Legal counsel for The New York Times revealed that the Department of Justice’s pursuit of journalists has escalated far beyond initial reports. In a letter unsealed Monday by US District Judge Arun Subramanian, attorneys for the paper described an alarming pattern of conduct, noting that federal investigators have reached out to phone companies for subscriber information and toll records belonging to the relatives of reporters.
Trump DOJ Subpoenas Phone Records of Journalists' Family Members
“Even the Mafia says families are off limits,” said Seth Stern of the Freedom of the Press Foundation, reacting to disclosures that the Trump administration has subpoenaed the phone records of New York Times reporters’ spouses and parents as part of an aggressive probe into alleged national security leaks.
The subpoenas, issued to Tyler Pager, Julian Barnes, Eric Schmitt, and Eric Lipton, follow a report detailing security concerns regarding a luxury jet gifted to Donald Trump by the Qatari government. Defense attorneys argue the scope of these demands—some dating back to January 1—indicates a broader attempt to map the journalists' source relationships rather than a focused investigation into a specific security breach. Katie Fallow of the Knight First Amendment Institute at Columbia University condemned the move as an extraordinary effort to intimidate the press, warning that targeting family members serves as a clear signal meant to silence scrutiny of the administration.
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