In 2015, after I won a seven-year battle with the federal government and refused its demands that I reveal my confidential sources for a story I wrote about a botched CIA operation, many media experts predicted that I would be the last journalist ever subpoenaed by the government in a leak investigation. They argued that new surveillance technology made it possible for the government to more readily identify sources inside the government without having to rely on the testimony of reporters. There was no longer any need for the government to go through the lengthy and bitter legal process of trying to haul reporters into court and threaten them with jail if they refused to reveal their sources.

Fast forward more than a decade, and it is obvious that those predictions from the experts were wrong. The notion that leak investigations are primarily designed to find leakers now seems quaint.

The New York Times reported earlier this month that the Trump administration has subpoenaed its reporters in a leak investigation related to a story about problems with the plane that Donald Trump received as a gift from Qatar.

One thing about this case is already clear: Donald Trump’s priority isn’t hunting down the sources for such a routine account of White House problems. What he appears to care most about is punishing reporters. Issuing subpoenas to reporters and threatening them with jail if they don’t reveal their sources is just one more........

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