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The Trump administration sought the phone records of New York Times journalists and their family members, ostensibly to gather evidence that could reveal who leaked information to the publication this month regarding a Qatari-gifted jet that is meant to become the next Air Force One.

Press freedom advocates have called the move a “gross” overreach to stifle reporting on the Trump administration in general.

The Department of Justice (DOJ) began an investigation into the Times after the paper had reported that the Qatari jet had deep security flaws. President Donald Trump had flown on the jet earlier this month to attend a NATO conference, but after his Secret Service expressed concerns about his safety, he flew home on the older Air Force One instead.

Trump had originally claimed that the change in plans was to show off the new jet to military service members stationed in Europe. But the Times later reported that security concerns were the real reason for the decision to fly the older model. Trump was reportedly outraged by the reporting and tasked FBI Director Kash Patel with leading the investigation into the leak.

In a court filing made on Saturday, lawyers for The New York Times disclosed that the publication recently became aware that the White House had subpoenaed third-party phone records of journalists in order to root out who leaked the information about the Qatari-gifted jet’s security flaws. In addition to........

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