President Donald Trump's administration sought the phone records of several New York Times journalists and some of their relatives as part of an effort to identify confidential sources for reports on a Qatari-gifted Air Force One jet, according to a court motion unsealed on Monday. The disclosure came as the Times continued its legal challenge to quash subpoenas served on three journalists who reported on security concerns involving the aircraft.

The move was described by the newspaper as more far-reaching than previously known and came at a time of increasingly tense ties between the executive branch and the press. The Justice Department has defended the subpoenas, saying, "to be clear, reporters are not the targets, those leaking classified information are."

In a letter-motion filed over the weekend, lawyers for the Times said the additional subpoenas covered a period beyond the articles at the centre of the investigation. "Two of the subpoenas seek records beginning on January 1, 2026, long before the events that are purportedly the basis for the Department's investigation," they wrote. "That timeframe strongly suggests that the Department is using this investigation not to focus on any purported concerns arising from the July 8 and 9 articles, but instead to forage for information about the Journalists' source relationships more broadly."

The new subpoenas also sought the phone records of one reporter's mother and the spouses of two journalists. The motion said the mother is a mental health professional with confidential client relationships, while one of the spouses is the general counsel of a law firm. The Times' lawyers said, "The disclosure of additional subpoenas for confidential newsgathering information of the Journalists is deeply concerning, revealing yet another instance of the alarming pattern of conduct detailed in the Motion to Quash." They added that the actions showed "abuse of the grand jury process, continued bad faith attacks on the Journalists, violations of the Department's own internal regulations and disregard for the law in this Circuit intended to protect critical First Amendment interests".

The original subpoenas were delivered to the reporters at their homes, in what was seen as a sharp escalation in the administration's crackdown on media leaks. It followed an FBI search earlier this year of a Washington Post reporter's home and the seizure of her electronic devices. The reports that triggered the investigation said the newer jet, gifted by Qatar and retrofitted and upgraded at a cost of USD 400 million, had entered service but was not used by Trump when he left a NATO summit in Turkey earlier this month.

The Times, citing anonymous sources, reported that the switch to the older aircraft was made at the urging of the Secret Service and that the newer plane lacked some of the advanced security features of the older Air Force One, including anti-missile capabilities. Trump denied security concerns on social media. The case has added to a wider confrontation between the administration and the press, which has included lawsuits, administrative action and public threats, even as the First Amendment guarantees the press the freedom to operate without government restrictions.

In sum, the legal fight now centres on a broader set of subpoenas than first known, including requests for records linked to journalists' family members, as the Times argues that the administration's actions go beyond the stated investigation into leaks about the Air Force One jet.

With PTI Inputs

- Ends

Published By:

India Today Web Desk

Published On:

Jul 21, 2026 00:48 IST