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 note on which he wrote “treason.”
“This isn’t a leak investigation — it’s an attempt to shut down reporting,” said CPJ CEO Jodie Ginsberg. “Conflating journalism with treason is dangerous and anti-democratic. We call on the Justice Department to withdraw these subpoenas now.”
WSJ was subpoenaed March 4 for reporters’ records tied to a February 23, 2026 story on Pentagon warnings about the risks of an extended Iran campaign, the paper reported.
In a statement, Dow Jones called the subpoenas “an attack on constitutionally protected newsgathering” and vowed to fight them.
The groundwork for this legal action was laid last year when then-Attorney General Pam Bondi rescinded Biden-era rules limiting prosecutors’ ability to target journalists as part of leak investigations. In January, federal agents searched the home of Washington Post reporter Hannah Natanson and seized her electronic devices, signaling the administration’s willingness to use more aggressive tactics.
CPJ’s email to the Justice Department for comment on why reporters were subpoenaed for simply doing their jobs did not receive an immediate reply.
Blanche wrote on X, “Prosecuting leakers who share our nation’s secrets with reporters, in turn risking our national security and the lives of our soldiers, is a priority for this administration.”
This content originally appeared on Committee to Protect Journalists and was authored by CPJ Staff.
CPJ Staff | Radio Free (2026-05-12T15:24:50+00:00) CPJ condemns Trump’s order for DOJ to subpoena journalists. Retrieved from https://www.radiofree.org/2026/05/12/cpj-condemns-trumps-order-for-doj-to-subpoena-journalists/
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