The Trump administration pursued phone records not just from New York Times journalists, but from their family members as well, according to court documents unsealed Monday. The aggressive subpoena campaign targeted reporters who broke stories about a newly acquired Air Force One jet from Qatar, raising fresh questions about the scope and timing of the government's leak investigation.
At least two subpoenas requested records dating back to January 1, 2026, far earlier than the articles that supposedly triggered the inquiry. The Times articles about the aircraft ran on July 8 and 9, but the government cast its net months deeper into the journalists' communications history.
"That timeframe strongly suggests that the department is using this investigation not to focus on any purported concerns arising from the articles, but instead to forage for information about the journalists' source relationships more broadly," the newspaper's lawyers wrote in their motion.
The phone records subpoenas stack on top of grand jury subpoenas delivered to three Times reporters on July 10, demanding they identify their confidential sources. Those came after government agents showed up at journalists' homes in what press freedom advocates called an intimidation tactic. Federal Judge Arun Subramanian has temporarily blocked enforcement of the phone records subpoenas pending a hearing Thursday.
Among the targets were records of one reporter's mother, a mental health professional with confidential patient relationships, and two reporters' spouses, including one who serves as general counsel at a law firm. Times lawyers argued the inclusion of family members demonstrated the government was operating in bad faith and had not conducted serious investigation before seeking the information.
The Times accused the Justice Department of violating its own protocols by failing to provide advance notice and of ignoring internal regulations designed to protect press freedom. Lawyers for the newspaper said the government claimed to have "followed the protocols" during Jay Clayton's recent confirmation hearing for director of national intelligence, but the expanding subpoena campaign contradicted that testimony.
The Justice Department countered Tuesday morning that it had complied with regulations and taken investigative steps before issuing the subpoenas. Officials said the target was not journalists themselves but those allegedly leaking classified information.
The subpoenas were staggered over time: some issued July 10 alongside the grand jury subpoenas, another on July 14, and a final one on July 16, after the Times had already filed motions to block the grand jury demands. The pattern suggested an attempt to expand the investigation after initial resistance, according to the newspaper.
The dispute centers on reporting about a Qatar-supplied aircraft that underwent $400 million in retrofitting and upgrades. Trump used an older Air Force One model to depart a NATO summit in Turkey in July, and the Times reported that the Secret Service had urged the switch because the newer plane lacked advanced security features of its predecessor, including antimissile capabilities. Trump dismissed the security concerns on social media.
Author James Rodriguez: "The government's hunt for reporters' family members' phone records crosses a line between investigating leaks and crushing journalism itself."
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