US Justice Department withdraws New York Times subpoenas over plane report

The US Justice Department on Thursday withdrew subpoenas issued to New York Times reporters over a story about security concerns involving a plane donated to President Donald Trump by Qatar.

The New York Times said federal prosecutors agreed at a court hearing in New York before District Judge Arun Subramanian to withdraw the subpoenas for now. The newspaper had challenged government requests for reporters' phone records and grand jury testimony, calling them an attempt to intimidate the press. Lawyers for the Times said the government's actions violated First Amendment protections for newsgathering.

The subpoenas were issued after a Times report said the Qatar-donated Air Force One lacked certain security countermeasures, including anti-missile defenses.

Qatar's royal family donated the luxury airliner last year after Trump complained about the condition of the two aging jets that have served as official US presidential planes since 1990. Trump took his first flight on the retrofitted Boeing 747-8 on July 1. Questions followed after he used an older jet to return from a NATO meeting in Ankara on July 10, at a time when hostilities between Washington and Tehran had flared again.

Trump denied any security concerns. He said he was sending the new plane to a British airbase so it could be toured by US troops. He later said the aircraft needed to be sent away for a month to be “maxed out,” but did not give details.

Critics have raised ethical, constitutional and security concerns about the gift of an aircraft worth hundreds of millions of dollars from a foreign power. The plane has a new Trump-designed red, white and navy blue livery, replacing the previous white and light blue color scheme. Two new Boeing Air Force One aircraft are due to be delivered later this decade after delays and cost overruns.

Reporters Without Borders welcomed the withdrawal of the subpoenas, calling it a victory for the New York Times and for journalists who rely on confidential sources to report in the public interest. The group said the court had reaffirmed that the government cannot use legal powers to intimidate reporters or undermine press independence.