The U.S. Department of Justice announced Thursday that it will withdraw subpoenas issued to journalists at The New York Times who published reports about security concerns related to President Donald Trump's travel on the presidential plane "Air Force One," which was a gift from Qatar.

A prosecutor said during a federal court hearing that the department would withdraw the subpoenas, which were issued by U.S. Attorney for Manhattan Jay Clayton on July 10, demanding that the journalists disclose information related to their news coverage.

These orders are the latest example of the Trump administration's attempts to force journalists to reveal their sources, which critics describe as part of a broader pressure campaign by the president against the media, according to Reuters.

U.S. District Judge Aaron Subramanian had blocked the enforcement of the subpoenas before the federal court hearing in Manhattan on Thursday.

Prosecutors asked the judge to suspend the orders for two weeks, explaining that next steps in the investigation could affect his decision, while The New York Times asked the court to reject the orders entirely.

Clayton issued the subpoenas after The New York Times published a report stating that Trump left Turkey aboard the old presidential plane because the new plane, gifted by Qatar, lacked anti-missile systems and other defensive features.

The journalists relied on anonymous sources for their reports, which were published coinciding with the collapse of the ceasefire in the US-Israeli war on Iran.

Dispute over protection of journalistic sources

The newspaper said in a court filing that the purpose of the subpoenas was to "harass and intimidate journalists," arguing that they violate the freedom of the press protections enshrined in the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.

It also accused the Justice Department of violating its internal policies regarding the use of subpoenas against journalists, which is a rare measure requiring high-level approvals.

In response, prosecutors denied issuing the orders improperly and said in a court filing Tuesday that the First Amendment does not grant journalists protection from the need to disclose information essential to criminal investigations.