US to withdraw subpoenas issued to New York Times journalists

• The US Justice Department will withdraw subpoenas seeking phone records and testimony from New York Times journalists reporting on President Trump's new Air Force One jet.
• Judge Arun Subramanian criticised the Justice Department's handling of the subpoenas, allowing withdrawal but noting future subpoenas could be issued with proper procedure.
• The subpoenas were seen as an attempt to intimidate reporters amid increased pressure on independent news organisations during the Trump administration.

NEW YORK - The Justice Department said on July 23 that it would withdraw the subpoenas that sought phone records and grand jury testimony from New York Times journalists who had reported on the security capabilities of US President Donald Trump’s new Qatari-built Air Force One jet.

“The government is prepared to unilaterally withdraw the subpoenas at this time,” Sean Buckley, one of the highest-ranking officials in the US attorney’s office in New York City’s Manhattan borough, said at a hearing in US District Court.