Trump’s AG Warns Reporters to Expect Subpoenas in Criminal Leak Investigations

Francis Chung/POLITICO via AP Images

Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche warned reporters to expect subpoenas on Tuesday, one day after The Wall Street Journal reported that it had been subpoenaed in connection with criminal investigations launched by the Department of Justice.

“President [Donald] Trump privately complained to acting Attorney General Todd Blanche about media leaks in the wake of the Iran war last month, according to administration officials familiar with the matter, prompting an aggressive push at the Justice Department to pursue those investigations,” reported the Journal. “Blanche vowed to secure subpoenas specifically targeting the records of reporters who have worked on sensitive national security stories, one official said. In one meeting, Trump passed a stack of news articles he and other senior officials thought threatened national security to Blanche with a sticky note on it that said ‘treason,’ another administration official said. Senior Justice Department officials have met with counterparts from the Pentagon to discuss the investigations, according to officials familiar with the meetings.”

“The Wall Street Journal received grand jury subpoenas dated March 4 for records of Journal reporters,” revealed the center-right newspaper. “The request related to a Feb. 23 article that reported that Gen. Dan Caine, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and others at the Pentagon warned the president about the risks of an extended military campaign against Iran. Other news outlets, including Axios and the Washington Post, published similar stories that day. Trump launched the war five days later, on Feb. 28.”

A DOJ spokeswoman commented on the matter by asserting that “In all circumstances, the Department of Justice follows the facts and applies the law to identify those committing crimes against the United States.” On Tuesday,  though, Blanche all but confirmed the Journal‘s reporting with a tweet that read:

To the media asking about DOJ investigating the leaking of classified information:

Prosecuting leakers who share our nation’s secrets with reporters, in turn risking our national security and the lives of our soldiers, is a priority for this administration. Any witness, whether a reporter or otherwise, who has information about these criminals should not be surprised if they receive a subpoena about the illegal leaking of classified material.

MS NOW reported last week that the FBI was also conducting a criminal leak investigation into The Atlantic‘s story about Director Kash Patel’s alleged “excessive drinking and unexplained absences,” but the bureau has denied that any such investigation is in progress.

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