Trump pushed DOJ to subpoena reporters over alleged Iran war leaks: Report
The Justice Department has met with Pentagon lawyers and sought reporters’ records as Trump calls leak coverage a national security threat.
- On Tuesday, May 12, 2026, reports revealed that President Trump has significantly escalated his campaign against media leaks, pressuring the Department of Justice to use aggressive legal tactics against journalists reporting on the Iran conflict.
- President Trump reportedly urged acting Attorney General Todd Blanche to issue grand jury subpoenas to The Wall Street Journal and other major outlets to identify anonymous sources behind stories detailing sensitive war-room deliberations.
- In a private meeting, the President allegedly presented Blanche with a stack of news articles he deemed dangerous to national security, some of which were marked with a handwritten note labeled "treason."
- The Justice Department's intensified probe focuses specifically on reporting that exposed how the administration arrived at the decision to launch the war and the internal advice provided by military and intelligence officials.
- The White House and DOJ have defended the moves as necessary to protect American lives, citing a recent incident where leaked information about a downed U.S. airman purportedly endangered a high-stakes rescue mission in Iranian territory.
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40 Articles
CPJ condemns Trump’s order for DOJ to subpoena journalists
Washington, D.C., May 12, 2026—The Committee to Protect Journalists demands that the United States Justice Department immediately withdraw grand jury subpoenas targeting reporters at The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) in connection with their reporting on the Iran war. CNN reported that President Donald Trump ordered acting Attorney General Todd Blanche to submit the subpoenas using a sticky...
Todd Blanche says media 'should not be surprised' if they're subpoenaed over national security stories
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche speaks to the Border Security Expo at the Phoenix Convention Center on May 6, 2026 in Phoenix, Arizona. (Photo by Gage Skidmore/Getty Images) (NEW YORK) — Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said Tuesday that members of the media “should not be surprised” if they receive subpoenas for information related to their sources on stories pertaining to national security-sensitive matters, following a Wall Street Jo…
The Wall Street Journal Says It Received Subpoenas For Reporters’ Records As Part Of Trump DOJ Leak Investigation
UPDATED with Acting Attorney General comments: The Wall Street Journal received grand jury subpoenas for reporters’ records as part of a Justice Department leak investigation, as the outlet said that they would oppose the effort. The Journal reported Monday evening that the subpoenas, dated March 4, came after President Donald Trump complained about leaks tied to the war in Iran. The subpoenas were tied to a February 23 article that reported o…
The leaks from within the White House about the war have enraged Donald Trump. At a meeting, the president carried around printed news articles in a folder that he called “treason.” It is a certain type of source information that mainly irritates him, writes the Wall Street Journal.
MichaelSavage.com – Trump’s chilling ‘treason’ note revealed as he hunts down Iran war leakers… and Israel bombshell sparks fury
Donald Trump handed his acting Attorney General a stack of Iran war news articles with a single word scrawled on a sticky note: 'Treason.' The President privately raged to Todd Blanche last month about the leaks, prompting the Justice Department to launch an aggressive pursuit of reporters' sources behind sensitive national security stories, the Wall…
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