NYT reporters subpoenaed over Air Force One security concerns stories

The Trump administration has issued subpoenas to several New York Times journalists after its report this week on security concerns involving the new Air Force One, according to the newspaper.

The new jet, which US President Donald Trump received as a gift from Qatar, just entered service last week.

The subpoenas, issued on Friday, local time, seek to force the reporters to testify before a federal grand jury in Manhattan on Wednesday, the paper said.

It reported that federal agents delivered some subpoenas to the journalists at their homes.

The NYT report could not be independently confirmed and there was no immediate response from the White House or the Department of Justice.

"The appearance of federal law enforcement agents on the doorstep of news reporters should shock the conscience of any American who believes in the Constitution and the press freedom it protects," said the paper's lawyer David McCraw in a statement.

The developments come after Mr Trump flew the new Air Force One to a NATO summit in Türkiye.

But he departed Wednesday on one of the older-model Air Force One jets for a trip to Mildenhall, a Royal Air Force base in Suffolk, England. The two jets both flew to Mildenhall. Mr Trump then switched to the newer plane for the flight home to Joint Base Andrews.

The abrupt plane swap came as a shaky ceasefire with Iran had collapsed, with the US launching air strikes on Iran and Tehran attacking three Gulf Arab states.

Iran and Türkiye share a border, sparking speculation that the Qatari-gifted jet — which underwent a $US400 million ($575m) retrofit — lacked certain sophisticated security and countermeasure systems.

The paper reported on Wednesday the switch had come at the urging of the Secret Service.

On Thursday, the paper said the newer plane lacked some of the advanced security features of the older aircraft, including anti-missile capabilities. Both articles cited anonymous sources.

Mr Trump, at the time, denied any security concerns, posting on social media that the stop in Mildenhall was so that service members there could view the new jet.

During the flight, the US president denied to the reporters accompanying him that security concerns involving Iran were a factor in flying two planes home.

Asked if he was aware of any credible threats against Air Force One by Iran, Mr Trump brushed off the question.

"I have a threat all the time. I'm No. 1 on their list,"

he said.

The White House later denied any security shortcomings on the new plane.

"The new Air Force One is a state-of-the-art aircraft that has been fitted with high-level security protocols that ensure the safety of the President and his staff," spokesman Steven Cheung said in a statement.

"As the President has said recently, there are many enemies of America who have their sights on him, and we use every tool at our disposal — including distraction and misdirection — to address those threats."

The Times journalists who received subpoenas included Julian E Barnes, Eric Lipton, Tyler Pager and Eric Schmitt, the paper reported.

The US National Press Club released a statement urging the Justice Department to withdraw the subpoenas.

"The Justice Department's decision to subpoena journalists at The New York Times should alarm every American because it threatens the public's constitutional right to an independent press," president Mark Schoeff Jr said.

"The greatest danger isn't the subpoena itself. It's the message it sends. It tells sources to stay silent. It tells whistleblowers to think twice. And it leaves the American people knowing less about the government that serves them."

Earlier this year, the Justice Department issued subpoenas seeking to compel testimony from reporters at The Washington Post and The Wall Street Journal.

In both cases, the DOJ later withdrew the subpoenas.

AP/ABC