US to withdraw subpoenas issued to New York Times journalists

NEW YORK – The Justice Department said on July 23 that it would withdraw the subpoenas that sought phone records and grand jury testimony from New York Times journalists who had reported on the security capabilities of US President Donald Trump’s new Qatari-built Air Force One jet.

“The government is prepared to unilaterally withdraw the subpoenas at this time,” Sean Buckley, one of the highest-ranking officials in the US attorney’s office in New York City’s Manhattan borough, said at a hearing in US District Court.

The government’s move came after Judge Arun Subramanian grilled Justice Department lawyers for nearly an hour over their handling of the subpoenas, which the Times had sought to quash. The newspaper called the subpoenas an effort to intimidate its reporters.

Subramanian said the Justice Department was not prevented from subpoenaing the Times’ reporters again if the government followed appropriate procedures.

The case had emerged as a flashpoint in the Trump administration’s efforts to escalate pressure on independent news organisations.