US Justice Department has issued summons to journalists the new York Times When he wrote articles questioning security measures on President Donald Trump’s new Air Force One, which was a gift from Qatar.
The newspaper described the move, which calls for the journalists to testify before a federal grand jury on Wednesday, as “an extraordinary escalation of President Trump’s efforts to intimidate and threaten independent news organizations.”
Trump, who accused the press of being the “enemy” of the American people during his first term, has taken several aggressive steps to control the media since returning to the White House.
What did journalists say about the new Air Force One?
The journalists’ stories were prompted by the fact that Trump, who flew to Turkey last week on the new Air Force One, departed the country on one of the older Air Force One jets, which took him to a Royal Air Force base in England.
From there, the President boarded the new Air Force One for the flight back to the United States.
In his report, new York Times The Secret Service had urged the change in Turkey amid security concerns over the breakdown of a shaky ceasefire with neighboring Iran, unnamed sources said.
The new Air Force One lacks some of the advanced security features of the older planes, such as anti-missile defense, the report said.
Trump has denied that security concerns were a factor in his use of two different aircraft.
However, when reporters accompanying him on the flight asked whether Air Force One had received threats from Iran, he said: “I’m under threat all the time. I’m No. 1 on their list.”
The summons was criticized as a threat to the freedom of the press.
The Justice Department’s move has sparked outrage among journalism advocacy groups, who have criticized what they see as an attack on press freedom and constitutional rights.
The National Press Club has urged the department to withdraw the summons “immediately”.
“When federal agents arrive at journalists’ homes with subpoenas, it is not ordinary law enforcement,” the club said in a statement. “This is an extraordinary attack on freedom of the press that strikes at the core of the First Amendment.”
a lawyer for the new York TimesDavid McCraw also criticized the move.
“The actions of federal law enforcement agents at the doorstep of news reporters should shock the conscience of any American who values the presence of the Constitution and protects the freedom of the press,” he said in a statement.
Trump’s campaign against critical media
This is not the first time the Justice Department has issued subpoenas against journalists under the Trump administration.
Earlier this year, it handed over some journalists Washington Post And wall street journalBut later they were taken back.
Trump himself has filed lawsuits against news outlets he believes are too critical of him and has even threatened to revoke TV broadcast licenses and cut funding to some media entities.
Previous access to the Pentagon for journalists has also been restricted, while the White House has also published a list of media outlets it considers publishing “fake news”.
Edited by: Carl Sexton
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