Trump defended DOJ subpoenas of NYT reporters as the agency withdrew demands. Google also got a subpoena in the leak case. Judge warned he would quash them.
President Donald Trump on Friday defended his Justice Department's decision to subpoena New York Times reporters, as it emerged that Google also received a subpoena in the same leak investigation.
The subpoenas sought grand jury testimony and phone records tied to a Times article about Trump's Qatari-donated Air Force One plane. The DOJ told a federal judge in New York on Thursday it was withdrawing those demands. Judge Arun Subramanian had warned prosecutors he would quash the subpoenas if they did not step back voluntarily.
"We're not after journalists," Trump told reporters in the Oval Office. "We're after leakers. We're after people that are cowards, people that are unpatriotic, people that are treasonous in many cases."
The president said the way to find leakers is through journalists. "And we have a long way to go with that case," he added.
The investigation touches on a leak of information about the new presidential aircraft. Google's inclusion in the subpoena process was disclosed Friday. The New York Times has not commented on the withdrawal.
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