12/07/2026 04:28 - Internacionales
Washington, July 11, 2026
The administration of Donald Trump has called four journalists from The New York Times to testify after the newspaper published information revealing security concerns surrounding the new presidential aircraft, Air Force One, a Boeing gifted by Qatar valued at approximately $400 million. On Friday, July 11, 2026, the reporters received orders from the Department of Justice to appear before a grand jury in Manhattan on Wednesday, July 15, 2026.
The four affected reporters are Julian E. Barnes, Eric Schmitt, Tyler Pager, and Eric Lipton. In some cases, federal agents showed up directly at the journalists' homes to deliver the court summons. The newspaper considers this a new demonstration of the Trump Administration's desire to threaten and intimidate independent media outlets.
David McCraw, a lawyer for The New York Times, stated:
The appearance of federal law enforcement agents at the doors of journalists' homes should shake the conscience of any American who believes in the Constitution and the freedom of the press it protects.
The Department of Justice indicated that the subpoenas relate to an investigation into national security violations. According to a statement from the agency, the journalists are not the target of the investigation, but rather those who are leaking classified information.
Department of Justice Statement:
We are not going to ignore the law or stop investigating people who work for the government and believe it is fine to leak classified information that affects national security.
Qatar gifted the plane to Trump last year, valued at about $400 million. The Pentagon took charge of the gift to adapt the Boeing to the strict security requirements of a presidential transport and to verify that no potential espionage devices had been introduced into the aircraft.
After presenting it to the press at an event at Andrews Air Force Base outside Washington, Trump debuted it on July 1, 2026, on a trip to North Dakota. This week, the president flew in it to Ankara, the capital of Turkey, to attend the NATO summit on July 9, 2026.
However, Trump returned to Washington on the old Air Force One, which sparked speculation about the reasons. The return occurred during a time of high tension between the United States and Iran, as they exchanged fire while Trump proclaimed the agreed truce was over amid a conflict that began on February 28, 2026. Iran shares a border with Turkey.
The New York Times reported, citing anonymous sources, that the new Air Force One is not equipped with anti-missile devices or other protective capabilities, unlike previous models. According to the newspaper, the return on the older presidential plane was made at the request of the Secret Service, the agency in charge of presidential protection.
When asked by journalists accompanying him on that flight, Trump denied the change was due to security reasons, stating it was decided to leave the new plane at a U.S. military base in the United Kingdom as a gesture for the soldiers stationed there. The president also refused to answer whether Iran had made any credible threats against the presidential aircraft.
Donald Trump stated:
I am constantly threatened. I am at the top of their list [Iran's].
The White House has denied that there are security problems with the newly debuted plane. Steven Cheung, White House Communications Director, stated in a release:
It is equipped with high-level security protocols that guarantee the safety of the president and his staff.
Before the article was published, a senior FBI official had contacted a journalist and a newspaper executive to ask them not to publish the story, arguing national security protection. The official also asked the newspaper to reveal its sources, which the Times refused to do.
Throughout his second term, Trump has repeatedly used the power of his government to harass the press. In early 2026, the Department of Justice attempted to force journalists from The Wall Street Journal and The Washington Post to testify, although it ultimately withdrew the subpoenas after both outlets filed arguments under seal.
In January 2026, FBI agents searched the home of Post journalist Hannah Natanson, seizing phones, computers, and a smartwatch as part of an investigation into a contractor's handling of classified information. Natanson had spent months talking to federal employees to cover the Trump Administration's measures to reduce the public workforce.
The Press Freedom Foundation condemned the subpoena of the New York Times journalists with a strong message:
When the Government alleges it needs to investigate journalists to protect national security, it is really referring to protecting the security of its own reputation.
The Administration's shame over the potential security issues of the new plane does not override the need for a free and independent press.
Alfredo S. Quiroga
