The New York Times has taken legal action to challenge unusual subpoenas issued to several of its reporters last week.
The subpoenas, which attempt to compel the reporters to testify before a grand jury about their anonymous sources, were “abusive and improper” and should be quashed by a court, the Times’ top newsroom lawyer, David McCraw, said in a statement Wednesday night.
“As we set out in our motion, these subpoenas are brought in bad faith to punish The Times for its coverage,” McCraw said. “They violate the constitutional rights of The Times and its journalists.”
The demands for testimony were delivered just two days after The Times published a story contradicting President Donald Trump’s claims about the new Qatari-gifted Air Force One.
News reporting about the new plane’s security deficiencies angered the president and triggered a sprawling leak investigation. CNN reported new details about the leak hunt earlier on Wednesday.
