NEW YORK (Reuters) — US President Donald Trump’s Justice Department  withdrew subpoenas issued to The New York Times’ journalists who reported on security concerns about the president flying on a Qatari-donated Air Force One.

The subpoenas issued by Manhattan US Attorney Jay Clayton on July 10 were the latest instance of the Trump administration seeking to force journalists to divulge their sources, part of what critics describe as the president’s broader pressure campaign against the media.

A prosecutor with Clayton’s office informed US District Judge Arun Subramanian of the decision after the judge spent roughly 1-1/2 hours questioning government attorneys about procedural issues in the leak investigation, including their handling of subpoenas for reporters’ phone records.

“The government is prepared unilaterally to withdraw the subpoenas,” prosecutor Sean Buckley said, noting that the probe was ongoing and that the government could subpoena the reporters again.

Clayton, Trump’s pick to be the next US director of national intelligence, issued the subpoenas after the Times reported that Trump left Turkey on the old Air Force One because a new plane donated by Qatar lacked antimissile and other defensive features.

The reports cited anonymous sources and came as a ceasefire collapsed in........

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