The Trump administration sought phone records belonging to several New York Times journalists and their relatives as part of an effort to uncover confidential sources behind coverage of the presidential aircraft, according to a motion unsealed Monday.
Legal filings revealed that the Justice Department requested records dating back to January 1, 2026, a timeframe that predates articles published in July about the Air Force One jet.
Lawyers for the newspaper argued this suggests a broader effort to gather information on reporter sources rather than addressing specific leaks.
The phone records demands accompanied grand jury subpoenas issued on July 10 to three reporters.
Additional subpoenas were delivered on July 14 and July 16, even after the publication took legal action to quash the original requests.
US District Judge Arun Subramanian scheduled arguments for Thursday while temporarily halting enforcement of the phone records demands.
Attorneys for the news organization stated the government acted in bad faith and violated internal guidelines by failing to provide advance notice.
The filing also raised questions regarding recent confirmation testimony by Jay Clayton, the US attorney in Manhattan, who maintained that the government followed standard protocols and selected the least intrusive methods available.
The subpoenas requested records belonging to a journalist's mother, who works as a mental health professional, as well as two spouses, one of whom serves as general counsel for a law firm.
The newspaper argued these measures represented an abuse of the grand jury process and infringed upon First Amendment protections.
In a response issued Tuesday morning, the Justice Department defended its actions, stating it complied with internal regulations and conducted preliminary investigative steps prior to seeking records.
The department noted it possessed authority to delay notice but chose to inform legal counsel to allow a formal challenge.
Security Concerns Surrounding Air Force One
The escalation follows earlier actions taken by federal authorities against news outlets, including an FBI search of a Washington Post reporter's residence in January.
Free press advocates have condemned the aggressive measures as attempts to intimidate journalists covering executive branch operations.
The investigation centers on reporting regarding a modified presidential aircraft acquired from Qatar following a $400 million retrofit.
Although the new jet recently entered service, Trump utilized an older Air Force One model when departing a NATO summit in Turkey earlier in July.
Reporting based on anonymous sources indicated the Secret Service recommended using the older aircraft due to missing advanced security features on the new plane, including anti-missile capabilities.
Trump subsequently denied the existence of security concerns on social media.
