Federal authorities have issued a grand jury subpoena to Matthew Cole, a freelance reporter affiliated with The New York Times, seeking to compel him to identify confidential sources connected to a classified 2019 Navy SEAL Team 6 operation in North Korea. The subpoena, served in February at Cole’s New York residence by FBI agents, is part of an intensified effort by the Trump administration to investigate leaks of national security information through legal pressure on journalists.

Prosecutors in Newport News, Virginia, have demanded Cole’s testimony covering two years of communications related to his reporting, which detailed a covert mission that ended with the killing of two or three unarmed North Koreans who reportedly stumbled upon the operation to plant a surveillance device near North Korea’s coastline. The article, published by The Times in September, was based on interviews with roughly two dozen sources. The Justice Department has not pursued similar subpoenas against Dave Phillips, a staff reporter who co-authored the article.

Cole’s legal counsel, David A. O’Neil, emphasized the reporter’s commitment to exposing official wrongdoing and protecting press freedoms amid what they describe as aggressive government attempts to intimidate journalists. The Times is providing legal support to Cole in mounting a challenge to the subpoena, which the Justice Department has refused to withdraw despite ongoing resistance.

The Justice Department declined to comment specifically on Cole’s case but reiterated its commitment to using all lawful means to identify individuals who unlawfully disclose national defense information. This subpoena follows a pattern of increased leak investigations under the Trump administration during its second term, a period marked by a notable rise in subpoenas targeting reporters compared to previous administrations.

Since Cole’s subpoena, similar demands have been issued to journalists at The Wall Street Journal and The Washington Post regarding coverage of sensitive government matters, including internal deliberations about conflict risks with Iran and U.S. military activities in Venezuela. These news organizations challenged the subpoenas in court, leading to federal judges expressing skepticism and prompting the Justice Department to rescind those demands. However, the government has maintained its stance in Cole’s case.

In parallel developments, the administration has pursued reporters connected to a New York Times series on a new Air Force One aircraft provided by Qatar, leading to subpoenas and requests for phone records of journalists and their family members. Following criticism from a federal judge in Manhattan over procedural missteps in the investigative process, the Justice Department withdrew those subpoenas but signaled ongoing investigative efforts.

The Justice Department’s internal policies on leak investigations, updated in 2025, designate reporter subpoenas as a final measure, yet the frequency and rapidity with which these subpoenas are issued have raised concerns among press advocates. Cole, who also writes about national security and political affairs on his Substack newsletter, delayed public disclosure of the North Korea mission to allow for more information gathering due to the sensitive nature of the story.

The broader pattern of leak investigations and subpoenas has sparked debate over the balance between national security and First Amendment protections, with media organizations expressing alarm over what they consider heightened government scrutiny and infringement on press freedoms. The outcome of Cole’s legal challenge could have significant implications for future leak probes involving journalists.