The Trump administration has issued subpoenas seeking phone records of several New York Times journalists, as well as some of their family members, in an investigation into leaks regarding a newly acquired Air Force One jet gifted by Qatar, according to legal filings unsealed on Monday. The subpoenas represent an intensified effort by the administration to identify confidential sources connected to stories published in July about the aircraft.

The Department of Justice's actions involve not only demands for reporters’ phone records but also grand jury subpoenas issued earlier this month aimed at compelling testimony about the origin of classified information. The Times has challenged these subpoenas in court, with a hearing scheduled before U.S. District Judge Arun Subramanian later this week. Enforcement of the phone records demands has been temporarily suspended pending the judge’s consideration of the newspaper’s motion to quash them.

Lawyers representing the Times criticized the scope and timing of the subpoenas, noting that some of the requested phone records cover a period starting as early as January 2026, well before the publication dates of the articles under scrutiny. The legal team argued this broad timeframe indicates an attempt not merely to investigate specific reports dated July 8 and 9 but rather to gather expansive information on journalists’ relationships with their sources. Moreover, several of the subpoenas were issued after the Times formally opposed prior orders, raising concerns of potential misconduct by prosecutors.

Among the data requested are phone records belonging to one reporter’s mother, identified as a mental health professional with confidential client relationships, and two spouses of the journalists, one of whom serves as general counsel at a law firm. The newspaper’s attorneys contended that the administration acted in bad faith by failing to provide advance notice as required by Justice Department protocols and by pursuing the subpoenas without adequate prior investigation.

The Justice Department responded on Tuesday, asserting that its actions complied with internal regulations and that investigative steps preceded the subpoenas. Officials also said they had appropriately notified the reporters’ legal counsel, allowing an opportunity to contest the demands. Regarding the family members’ phone numbers, the department stated that subpoenas were issued based on connections found in law enforcement databases and would be withdrawn if those numbers were proven unrelated to the journalists.

The subpoenas represent an escalation in the administration’s broader campaign against media leaks, which has included an earlier FBI search of a Washington Post reporter’s residence and seizure of her electronic devices. Critics have described these efforts as unprecedented and an affront to First Amendment protections.

The reporting at the center of the investigation detailed the substitution of the newly acquired Air Force One jet with an older model for President Trump’s departure from a recent NATO summit in Turkey. Sources told the Times that the decision, urged by the Secret Service, was due to the new jet’s lack of certain advanced security features such as antimissile defenses. The White House has denied that security was a factor in the switch.

Since returning to office last year, the Trump administration has frequently confronted the press through lawsuits, administrative measures, and public criticism, drawing ongoing debates over press freedom under the U.S. Constitution.