WASHINGTON: The New York Times said on Saturday that the US Department of Justice had ordered several of its journalists to testify before a federal grand jury after they reported on security concerns involving President Donald Trump’s new Qatari-donated Air Force One.

The media organisation said subpoenas were issued on Friday, asking that the journalists appear before a grand jury on July 15 to testify “in regard to an alleged violation of federal criminal law”.

The subpoenas were issued in Manhattan and in some cases delivered to reporters’ homes by federal agents, the news outlet reported.

It described the move as “an extraordinary escalation in President Trump’s efforts to threaten and intimidate independent news organisations”.

In a statement, a Justice Department spokesperson did not confirm or deny the subpoenas, but said the administration was not targeting reporters; it was concerned about people leaking classified information. The White House referred all questions to the Justice Department.

Journalism advocacy groups criticised the subpoenas as a threat to press freedom and constitutional rights. The National Press Club urged the department to “immediately” withdraw the subpoenas.

“When federal agents arrive at homes of journalists with subpoenas, it is not ordinary law enforcement,” the club said in a statement. “It is an extraordinary assault on freedom of the press that strikes at the heart of the First Amendment.”

Published in Dawn, July 12th, 2026