Four New York Times journalists were served subpoenas by the Justice Department on Friday, and each was ordered to appear before a federal grand jury on Wednesday. Federal agents delivered the subpoenas at the journalists' residences, according to the newspaper.

The subpoenas relate to a July 2026 Times report that said President Trump used a previously owned Air Force One aircraft during a NATO summit in Turkey after the Secret Service recommended the move, citing security concerns. The article noted that the new $400 million jet donated by Qatar required additional security upgrades, a process the Air Force has said began in September and could cost hundreds of millions of dollars.

The subpoenas, issued by U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York Jay Clayton, do not specify the precise testimony the reporters are expected to provide. Before the story was published, a senior FBI official requested that the newsroom refrain from releasing it, citing national security concerns, but no further explanation was offered. David McRaw, the newspaper's senior attorney, said the subpoenas appeared intended to restrict public knowledge of the situation. Seth Stern, chief of advocacy at the Freedom of the Press Foundation, stated that the subpoenas could chill reporting and that concerns about reputational security do not outweigh the need for a free and independent press.