New York Times moves to quash DOJ subpoenas over Air Force One reporting

Summary

The New York Times filed a motion Wednesday to quash Justice Department subpoenas served on its journalists who reported on security concerns surrounding the new Air Force One, a Boeing 747 gifted to the United States by Qatar. The subpoenas are seeking grand jury testimony, which would almost certainly require the reporters to identify confidential sources. The Times called the subpoenas an act of bad faith, saying in its motion that they were 'brought in bad faith to punish the Times for its coverage' and that they 'violate the constitutional rights of the Times.' The case sets up a potentially landmark confrontation over press freedom and the government's power to compel journalists to testify, a fight that press freedom advocates have long feared from an administration willing to use the Justice Department aggressively. Separately, the DOJ is also refusing to hand over Jeffrey Epstein files to New Mexico, which says those records are essential to a criminal investigation into alleged abuse at Epstein's ranch in the state. Both disputes put the Justice Department at the center of battles over information access, one involving a news organization defending its sources and one involving a state government trying to pursue its own criminal probe.