Justice Department defends subpoenas of Wall Street Journal reporters
Summary
The Justice Department responded to subpoenas sent to Wall Street Journal reporters related to a leak investigation about U.S. military warnings on Iran. The department said it aims to protect soldiers' lives by investigating those who leak classified information, not the reporters themselves.Key Facts
- The Wall Street Journal received subpoenas on March 4 linked to a February 23 article about military leaders warning President Donald Trump about risks in Iran.
- The subpoenas request records from Journal reporters to help find government employees leaking classified material.
- Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said prosecuting leakers who share secrets is a priority for the Trump administration.
- The Justice Department said reporters are not the target, but they may have information about illegal leaks.
- Historically, leak investigations under the Espionage Act focus on leakers, not journalists who publish the information.
- In 2025, Attorney General Pam Bondi allowed prosecutors to subpoena journalists’ records for leak investigations, reversing a previous limit.
- The Biden administration had earlier made it harder to seize reporters’ communications, but incidents like the Washington Post reporter’s phone search have raised concerns.
- The Wall Street Journal called the subpoenas an attack on free press and said it will fight them.
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