Donald Trump's administration subpoenaed several journalists from The New York Times to testify before a federal grand jury for a report on the new Air Force One, a plane gifted by Qatar that has raised questions for its alleged safety deficiencies.

According to information published by The New York Times, the subpoenas were delivered on Friday by federal agents to the homes of some reporters. The appearance was scheduled for five days later and is part of an investigation by the Department of Justice (DOJ) into alleged leaks of classified information.

The Government argues security reasons

In a statement, the Department of Justice assured that the investigation is not directed against journalists, but against those who would have leaked confidential information.

“Journalists are not the target, but rather those who leak classified information,” the agency said. “We are not going to stop investigating those who consider it acceptable to disclose information that affects national security.”

The report revealed, based on anonymous sources, that the new Air Force One would lack some defense systems, such as anti-missile capabilities, and that the Secret Service recommended that the president not complete his entire return trip from Turkey aboard that aircraft.

The White House rejected that version and assured that the plane has “state-of-the-art” security protocols. Trump also denied there were any risks, saying: "I get threats all the time. I'm number one on their list."

The impact on press freedom is worrying

The subpoenas sparked criticism from press freedom organizations.

The National Press Club said that forcing journalists to testify “should alarm all Americans,” believing that the measure threatens the constitutional right to an independent press.

For his part, David McCraw, a lawyer for The New York Times, argued that the presence of federal agents at reporters' homes "should shock the conscience of any American who believes in the Constitution and freedom of the press."

According to the newspaper itself, before the publication of the report, a senior FBI official asked the outlet to delay the dissemination of the information for reasons of national security, although he did not offer further explanations.

The White House Correspondents Association (WHCA) also condemned the subpoenas. Its president, Weijia Jiang, assured that the organization supports journalists and warned that it “supports the New York Times reporters who were targeted for practicing their profession and defending the public's right to know how their government works.” Likewise, it rejected “any act of intimidation against journalists, including attempts to force them to reveal their sources.”