New York Times to fight Trump administration subpoenas in court

Attorneys for the New York Times will be in court on Thursday to fight a series of grand jury subpoenas they allege were to attempt to retaliate against and intimidate reporters whose work angered President Donald Trump.
Lawyers for the newspaper are asking a federal judge to quash those subpoenas, which seek to compel the journalists to testify about their sources, as well as access the phone records of the reporters and some of their family members.
“The Government’s actions violate the most basic First Amendment protections for newsgathering activity. They represent the latest salvo in an escalating series of attacks on journalists to intimidate them from engaging in reporting that the Trump Administration openly detests,” lawyers for the New York Times wrote in a court filing last week.
The legal fight over the subpoenas stems from the New York Times’ reporting about reported security concerns related to the new Air Force One airplane donated to the United States by the Qatari government. Citing unnamed sources, the paper reported the newly commissioned plane “lacks the same defensive countermeasures that were security features of the old model, including its advanced antimissile capabilities.”
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