US Justice Department Summons Five Journalists Over Trump Plane Security Leak

The US Justice Department has issued subpoenas to five journalists involved in reporting on a serious security vulnerability in the presidential aircraft used by former President Donald Trump. The journalists named in the legal summons are Tyler Pager, Eric Lipton, Adam Goldman, Eric Schmitt, and Julian E. Barnes.

The subpoenas seek to compel these reporters to testify and submit any materials they possess related to their investigation. The department aims to identify and prosecute those responsible for leaking sensitive security information.

According to reports published in The New York Times, the new presidential plane—a Boeing 747-8 gifted by Qatar—lacks the standard missile defense systems and countermeasures against heat-seeking missiles that were present in the previous Air Force One model.

This security gap emerged amid heightened tensions and Iranian threats while President Trump was in Ankara attending a NATO summit. The Secret Service intervened and required the president to return using the older presidential aircraft as a precautionary measure.

The New York Times management condemned the legal subpoenas, some of which were delivered by federal agents to the journalists' homes. David McCraw, the newspaper’s legal counsel, described the actions as a "brazen act" that threatens press freedom and the public’s right to know.