The US Department of Justice subpoenaed a number of journalists from the New York Times after they published reports revealing that the new presidential plane, a gift from Qatar, lacks advanced defense systems.

According to the newspaper, the five journalists who participated in writing and revealing these reports are: Tyler Pager, Eric Lipton, Adam Goldman, Eric Schmitt, and Julian E. Barnes.

The Justice Department seeks through the subpoenas to force the journalists to testify and provide the materials in their possession, with the aim of identifying and prosecuting those responsible for leaking that sensitive security information.

The journalists revealed in their reports published by the New York Times that the new presidential plane (Boeing 747-8), which Trump received as a gift from Qatar, lacks the standard missile defense system and defensive fortifications against heat-seeking missiles available on the older model of Air Force One.

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This flaw, combined with security tensions and Iranian threats during President Donald Trump's presence in Ankara for the NATO summit, prompted the Secret Service to intervene and force his return using the old presidential plane as a precautionary measure.

For its part, the management of the New York Times condemned the legal subpoenas, some of which were served by federal agents at the journalists' homes, and the newspaper's legal counsel, David McCraw, described this measure as a 'brazen act' that threatens press freedom and the public's right to know.