3 weeks ago
The Wall Street Journal received expansive assemblage subpoenas for reporters’ records arsenic portion of a Justice Department leak investigation, arsenic nan outlet said that they would reason nan effort.
The Journal reported connected Monday evening that nan subpoenas, dated connected March 4, came aft President Donald Trump complained astir leaks tied to nan warfare successful Iran. The subpoenas were tied to a Feb. 23 article that reported connected nan concerns that General Dan Caine, nan president of nan Joint Chiefs of Staff, and others had astir nan risks of nan Iran war.
A spokesperson for Dow Jones, nan patient of The Journal, said successful a statement, “The government’s subpoenas to The Wall Street Journal and our reporters correspond an onslaught connected constitutionally protected newsgathering. We will vigorously reason this effort to stifle and intimidate basal reporting.”
Since Trump took agency for a 2nd term, nan DOJ has ended Biden-era restrictions connected nan department’s efforts to get accusation from journalists. In January, nan location of a newsman for The Washington Post, Hannah Natanson, was searched and her phones were seized arsenic portion of an investigation into a authorities contractor’s retention of classified information.
The Journal reported that Trump complained to Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche astir nan leaks. Last month, nan president threatened an unnamed media outlet that reported connected a downed subject airman successful Iran. He said that they would find nan leaker and “whoever it was, we deliberation we’ll beryllium capable to find it out, because we’re going to spell to nan media institution that released it, and we’re gonna opportunity ‘national security. Give it up aliases spell to jail.'” The position of that leak investigation has not been made public.
The Justice Department did not instantly return a petition for comment. But a spokesperson told nan Journal, “In each circumstances, nan Department of Justice follows nan facts and applies nan rule to place those committing crimes against nan United States.”
More to come.
