Trump attacks 'New York Times' for reporting on security problems on Air Force One
The Department of Justice summons journalists from the American newspaper who had reported on the president's plane, which was a gift from Qatar
BarcelonaDonald Trump has once again attacked press freedom in the United States without mercy. The Justice Department of his administration has summoned several journalists from the American newspaper " TheNew York Times after they published a report detailing security issues with Air Force One, the aircraft used by the US president for travel and which was a donation from Qatar. Journalists will have to appear on Wednesday before a grand jury to testify "in relation to an alleged violation of federal criminal law".
The outlet, which has labeled the action "brazen," believes the goal of the subpoenas is to intimidate journalists and compromise their independence. In fact, federal agents showed up at the reporters' homes to personally deliver the court summons. A gesture that the lawyer for the New York Times, David McCraw, considers it should "worry any American who believes in the Constitution and freedom of the press": "Our journalists report the facts and defend the right of American citizens to know how their government works and how taxpayer dollars are being used," assures the statement published Friday evening by McCraw, who also insists that the government's goal is "to prevent the public from knowing what is happening in their country by intimidating journalists so they don't do their job".
Without missile defense
The journalists summoned to testify had reported on Wednesday that the United States Secret Service had asked Donald Trump to fly on the old Air Force One to return to Washington from the NATO summit – which was held in Ankara – instead of the one Qatar gifted him when he took office. Several experts stated in their articles that the new Air Force One, a Boeing 747-8 of luxury estimated at $400 million, did not meet the security requirements that previous aircraft had, such as missile protection. Following recent threats from Iran, intelligence services would have forced the president to travel in an old model "for security reasons", although Trump justified it by saying he did it "out of nostalgia".
The episode adds to a long list of threats, intimidations, and blatant interventions by his administration against press freedom. The cancellation of the late night show from comedian Jimmy Kimmel to the network ABC, the cuts to dismantle public broadcasting, the multi-million dollar lawsuits against the country's leading newspapers or the threats to media over its coverage of the war in Iran are just a sample of the authoritarian drift that the North American administration has taken against press freedom since Donald Trump arrived at the White House.