Grand Theft America / Receipt power-2026-07-20-042
The Justice Department subpoenas the phone records of reporters' mothers and spouses
The Justice Department sought the phone records of several New York Times journalists and of some of their relatives, including one reporter's mother and two journalists' spouses, according to a motion unsealed on 20 July.
What happened
Lawyers for the Times noted that some of the phone records subpoenas were issued on the same day as the grand jury subpoenas, that an additional one was issued on July 14 and another on July 16 — after the Times had already moved to quash the grand jury subpoenas. Two of the subpoenas seek records beginning on January 1, 2026, which the newspaper's lawyers wrote is long before the events purportedly at the basis of the investigation. The motion noted that the mother in question is a mental health professional with confidential client relationships.
Why it matters
Records subpoenas reach a journalist's sources without the journalist ever being asked, and extending them to relatives draws people with no connection to the reporting into the investigation.
Receipt details
- Phase 1
- Silence the watchdogs
- Punish critical news coverage
