The federal government says it will drop its subpoenas compelling New York Times reporters to testify about anonymous sources in a case that involved President Donald Trump’s claims about a Qatari-gifted Air Force One jet.
The withdrawal came on Thursday at the end of a hearing in the Southern District of New York, during which Judge Arun Subramanian grilled federal prosecutors about “inadvertent errors” they admitted to making in filing for the subpoenas.
“The government is prepared to unilaterally withdraw the subpoenas at this time,” Sean Buckley, chief counsel to the US attorney, told Subramanian.
Afterward, when CNN asked the Justice Department if the subpoenas to the Times may be reissued in the future, a spokesperson responded with a statement criticizing the judge and saying “this investigation remains ongoing.”
“We will pursue justice against those threatening national security by leaking classified information, a serious federal crime,” the spokesperson said.
