Court filings unsealed this week show that the Trump administration, through the Department of Justice, sought communications records of New York Times journalists as part of an effort to identify the outlet’s confidential sources. Multiple reports say the government pursued phone records not only for certain NYT reporters but also for some of their relatives, including spouses and a parent, according to a motion made public in connection with the administration’s legal actions.
The effort is tied to reporting by the New York Times about security concerns involving an Air Force One jet described as being connected to Qatar. The Times says the subpoenas and related requests it received are part of an ongoing legal challenge aimed at quashing the government’s demands. PBS NewsHour and other outlets report that the government’s motion seeks to unmask sources the journalists relied on for their account of the security issues.
While the exact scope of each record request is described in court documents, all coverage centers on the same development: DOJ seeks phone or communications records of NYT journalists and, in some cases, their family members, as litigation continues over the subpoenas.
