Freelance New York Times reporter subpoenaed over reporting on failed US mission in North Korea

The Trump administration subpoenaed a freelance reporter for the New York Times in connection with reporting on a failed top secret mission in North Korea, according to a report published Saturday by the Times.

The previously unreported subpoena, issued by prosecutors in Virginia, was delivered by FBI agents to reporter Matthew Cole’s home in New York, the Times said. According to the newspaper, prosecutors are demanding that Cole turn over two years of contacts and sources.

Cole “has dedicated his professional life to bringing official misconduct to light and informing the public about the workings of its government”, his lawyer, David A O’Neil, said in a statement, adding that his client “will not be intimidated from continuing that important work. He will defend press freedom and the first amendment from this administration’s brazen attacks on journalists, and he will honor his commitment to his sources.”

The revelation comes as the Trump administration has intensified its broader campaign against what it describes as unauthorized disclosures to the press.

Last month, the New York Times reported that its journalists had been subpoenaed as part of a leak investigation tied to reporting about issues involving the aircraft Trump received as a gift from Qatar. The justice department later withdrew those subpoenas.

During those proceedings, Judge Arun Subramanian of the US district court for the southern district of New York sharply questioned government attorneys, asking whether prosecutors had complied with the legal standards required before subpoenaing journalists.

In March, the administration also sought records from Wall Street Journal reporters in an effort to identify sources behind a February article detailing internal administration discussions about the risks of a war with Iran.

The federal government had issued subpoenas, later withdrawn, to Washington Post and Wall Street Journal reporters over their coverage of “national security matters” and reportedly raided a Washington Post journalist’s home.

Trump has insisted that the investigations are focused on officials leaking information rather than members of the press, telling reporters: “We’re not after journalists. We’re after leakers.”