Federal prosecutors subpoena four New York Times reporters over Qatari Air Force One coverage

Pre-publication contact from the FBI

Before the article was published, a senior FBI official contacted one of the Times reporters and an editor and asked that the story be held, without providing a reason. The same official also asked that the sources for the story be identified, and both Times employees refused to do either, according to the newspaper.

David McCraw, senior vice president and deputy general counsel for the New York Times, condemned the subpoenas in a statement. "The appearance of Federal law enforcement agents on the doorstep of news reporters should shock the conscience of any American who believes in the Constitution and the press freedom it protects," McCraw said. He added: "Our journalists report the facts and advance the American public's right to know how their government is operating and their taxpayer dollars are being used."

McCraw went further, calling the subpoenas "nothing more than an attempt to prevent the public from knowing what is happening in their country by intimidating journalists from doing their jobs." The Times itself used the same phrase, describing the subpoenas as a "brazen act."

The prosecutor and the grand jury

The subpoenas were issued by U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton of the Southern District of New York. Clayton was recently nominated by Trump to be the next national intelligence director. The grand jury proceedings are scheduled to take place in Manhattan on Wednesday.

A pattern of pressure on the press

The Times said the Justice Department's action fits a pattern in which the Trump administration has used federal government power to threaten independent news organizations. Earlier this year, the FBI searched the property of Washington Post reporter Hannah Natanson, seizing her phones and laptops as part of an investigation into leaked information. Natanson had written a series of in-depth stories about the Trump administration's attempts to reduce the federal workforce.

The Times is engaged in several other legal disputes with the federal government. The newspaper has launched its own legal action against the Defense Department for seeking to restrict Pentagon access to reporters. The Times is also involved in a separate claim and counterclaim with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, which has accused the newspaper of discriminatory employment practices based on a complaint filed by a white male editor who said he had been passed over for a promotion.

The Times has characterized the EEOC lawsuit as part of the Trump administration's retaliation for the newspaper's coverage of the president. Trump has accused the Times of disparaging his reputation, undermining his efforts to win reelection and defamation; the newspaper has rejected his claims.

The White House and the Department of Justice did not immediately respond to requests for comment on Saturday. The Times reported on the subpoenas.