The Trump administration sought phone records of several New York Times journalists and their relatives, including the mother of one reporter, in an effort to unmask sources who provided information about security concerns involving the new Air Force One, according to a court filing disclosed on July 20, 2026.
The subpoenas for phone records came on top of grand jury subpoenas served on July 10 to three journalists who had reported on the Qatar-gifted aircraft. The New York Times filed a motion to quash the phone record subpoenas, calling them part of a bad-faith attack on the news organization.
The subpoenas targeted journalists including Julian E. Barnes, Eric Lipton, Tyler Pager, and Eric Schmitt, who had reported on security concerns related to the modified Air Force One. Court documents indicated that two of the subpoenas sought records beginning January 1, 2026—long before the Air Force One reporting that the government claimed was the basis for the investigation.
The effort to obtain family members’ phone records marks an escalation in the administration’s pressure on news organizations. The New York Times said the government sought records of relatives’ personal devices, including one reporter’s spouse and another reporter’s mother, raising questions about the scope and justification of the investigation.
Pattern From Trump’s First Term
The targeting of journalists’ phone records echoes actions during Trump’s first presidency from 2017 to 2021. During leak investigations, the Trump Justice Department secretly seized phone records of four New York Times reporters spanning nearly four months in 2017, as well as phone records of Washington Post journalists and a CNN correspondent. Those seizures were disclosed years later and became public only in 2021 when the administration had already left office.
A December 2024 inspector general report found that federal prosecutors had sidestepped some Justice Department rules when they seized journalists’ phone records during leak investigations in Trump’s first term. The report documented that the Trump DOJ had also obtained phone and email records of two House Democrats and 43 congressional staffers as part of leak probes.
Press freedom advocates have warned that the current subpoenas represent a continuation of efforts to intimidate news organizations and chill reporting on government activities. The New York Times argued in its motion that the subpoenas sought to compel testimony and records related to the journalists’ reporting methods and sources—core protections under the First Amendment.
Sources
- The New York Times — reported July 20, 2026, that the Trump administration sought phone records of journalists and relatives; disclosed court filing and motion to quash
- PBS NewsHour — confirmed DOJ sought phone records of journalists and relatives to unmask sources of Air Force One security report
- CBS News — reported subpoenas sought phone records of reporters and family members, including spouses and a mother
- The Wall Street Journal — confirmed DOJ sought phone records tied to relatives of New York Times reporters
- The Washington Post — reported on the Trump administration seeking phone records of journalists and relatives
- The Guardian — confirmed subpoenas targeted journalists who reported on Air Force One security concerns
- Politico — reported DOJ’s subpoenas in Air Force One probe included journalists’ families
- The New York Times (2021) — reported Trump Justice Department secretly seized phone records of four NYT reporters in 2017 as part of leak investigation
- The Washington Post (2021) — reported Trump Justice Department secretly obtained phone records of Post journalists
- Politico (December 2024) — reported DOJ inspector general faulted Trump’s first-term DOJ for secretly obtaining phone and email records of congressional members and staffers during leak investigations
