US defence secretary Pete Hegseth announced on Monday that the Pentagon and the Department of Justice have formed a joint taskforce to identify and prosecute unauthorised disclosures of sensitive information to the press. The move marks the latest escalation in the Trump administration's crackdown on leaks.
In a video posted on X, Hegseth said he had delegated tasking authority to the war department's Office of General Counsel, empowering it to request all information and records across the department concerning media leak investigations. 'Leaked information risks lives,' he said, adding that those who betray the trust of confidential information 'will be met with the full force of the law'. He thanked acting attorney general Todd Blanche for his help.
The announcement comes after the New York Times reported that the administration had issued subpoenas to several of its journalists over stories about security concerns with President Trump's new Qatari-gifted plane. The articles cited anonymous sources. The Times refused to disclose its sources despite a request from a senior FBI official.
David McCraw, the Times's top newsroom lawyer, condemned the subpoenas, saying the 'appearance of federal law enforcement agents on the doorstep of news reporters should shock the conscience of any American who believes in the Constitution and the press freedom it protects'. A justice department spokesperson said the reporters were not targets but those leaking classified information were.
The National Press Club in Washington DC said the subpoenas 'should alarm every American because it threatens the public's constitutional right to an independent press'. The Times described the move as 'an extraordinary escalation' in Trump's efforts to threaten news organisations. Earlier this year, the DOJ also sought testimony from journalists at the Wall Street Journal and the Washington Post, later withdrawing the subpoenas after challenges.
