Defend Press Freedom: Condemn the DOJ Subpoenas of NYT Reporters

The DOJ's subpoenas of four New York Times reporters — Julian Barnes, Eric Lipton, Tyler Pager, and Eric Schmitt — are a direct attack on the free press, and I need you to publicly condemn them. These journalists reported on legitimate security concerns about a foreign-gifted aircraft. That is exactly the kind of accountability journalism the First Amendment exists to protect. What makes this worse is how it happened. FBI Director Kash Patel spent roughly eight hours working the case from the White House — not FBI headquarters — before U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton issued subpoenas ordering the reporters to testify before a federal grand jury. The DOJ says they're not "targets," but press freedom advocates are right to call this what it is: unconstitutional intimidation designed to dry up sources and punish coverage that angered the president. The timing, the location, the speed — none of this looks like a legitimate national security investigation. A free press is not a partisan issue. Speak up now, before this becomes the new normal.