Justice Department Defends Subpoenas to Wall Street Journal in Iran War Leak Probe

Washington — The Justice Department on Tuesday defended subpoenas it issued to the Wall Street Journal in a leak investigation tied to the paper's reporting on the war with Iran. The department said it aims to protect soldiers whose lives could be endangered by disclosures of classified information.

"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," Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said in a statement to CBS News. "Any witness, whether a reporter or otherwise, who has information about these criminals should not be surprised if they receive a subpoena about the illegal leaking of classified material."

The Wall Street Journal reported Monday that it received the subpoenas on March 4. They relate to a February 23 article detailing warnings from the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and other Pentagon officials to President Trump about the dangers of a prolonged military campaign against Iran. Other news outlets ran similar accounts around that time.

The subpoenas seek records from Journal reporters, according to the paper. A Justice Department official said they target government employees who leaked classified material, not the journalists.

The move marks an aggressive step likely to heighten friction between the press and the Trump administration while stoking concerns about press freedoms.

Earlier this year, the FBI raided the home of Washington Post reporter Hannah Natanson. Agents seized her phone, laptops, Garmin watch and portable hard drives during a probe of a government contractor later charged with mishandling classified material.

In leak cases under the Espionage Act, the department has traditionally gone after the sources, not the reporters who publish the information.

In April 2025, then-Attorney General Pam Bondi issued a memo easing restrictions on subpoenaing journalists' records and testimony in leak probes. It reversed limits set by her predecessor, Merrick Garland.

Bondi's rules allow prosecutors to issue subpoenas, court orders and search warrants to obtain information and testimony from news media members, the memo said.

The Biden administration had tightened those rules to protect reporters' phones and emails. The department drew fire during Trump's first term for secretly subpoenaing reporters and congressional aides in leak cases.

Dow Jones chief communications officer Ashok Sinha said the Journal's subpoenas "represent an attack on constitutionally protected newsgathering."

"We will vigorously oppose this effort to stifle and intimidate essential reporting," Sinha added.