The Justice Department withdrew subpoenas Thursday it had previously filed against three New York Times journalists as part of a leak probe.The DOJ sought the grand jury testimony and phone records of Times journalists Tyler Pager, Julian Barnes, Eric Schmitt and Eric Lipton, all of whom had a byline on a report published earlier this month revealing President Donald Trump flew home from Turkey on his old Air Force One instead of the new Qatar-donated Boeing 747-8 he flew into the NATO summit amid security concerns, something Trump denied.The Times report, citing anonymous sources, prompted a leak probe by the DOJ, hoping to target those who gave the Times journalists the sensitive information.TRUMP ADMINISTRATION SUBPOENAS NY TIMES JOURNALISTS IN GRAND JURY LEAK PROBE TIED TO AIR FORCE ONE REPORTThe Department of Justice withdrew its subpoenas targeting New York Times journalists as part of its leak probe.(Yuriy T/iStock)"Today’s proceeding was an important affirmation of our country’s commitment to a free press," New York Times Senior Vice President and Deputy General Counsel David McCraw said in a statement to Fox News Digital.
"We are pleased that the government finally conceded that the subpoenas violated the law, but they should never have been issued in the first place.The Times and our journalists will continue to report and seek the truth without fear or favor.
We will not be deterred in the face of tactics like these."The Justice Department did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment.HEGSETH ANNOUNCES JOINT TASK FORCE WITH DOJ TO PROSECUTE LEAKS TO JOURNALISTS 'WITH THE FULL FORCE OF THE LAW'The New York Times reported that President Donald Trump flew out of the NATO summit in Turkey with the old Air Force One instead of the Qatar-gifted jet due to security concerns.(Jonathan Ernst/Reuters)Upon his departure from the NATO summit in Turkey, Trump flew out on his old Air Force One instead of the new one gifted to the administ...