DOJ asks for phone records of NYT reporters, their spouses and a parent

The Department of Justice is reportedly seeking the communications records of New York Times journalists, and in some cases that of members of reporters’ families, as it works to identify sources the news outlet relied on for its reporting about security concerns surrounding the Qatari-gifted jet for Air Force One.

The Times reported more details about the DOJ’s efforts on Monday, saying the department had sought records from third-party communications companies including “calls and messages on the phones of two of the reporters’ spouses” and one reporter’s mother.

The DOJ earlier this month sparked a wave of backlash from press freedom groups when it issued subpoenas against Times journalists who reported on the jet, stories that hinged on confidential government sources.

The move was considered unprecedented,........

© The Hill