The New York Times headquarters [AFP=Yonhap News file photo]

The U.S. Department of Justice has decided to withdraw subpoenas issued to New York Times (NYT) reporters, which had demanded their appearance before a federal grand jury regarding a report on security concerns surrounding President Donald Trump’s new presidential aircraft (Air Force One), the NYT reported on the 23rd (local time).

According to the report, a government attorney stated during a hearing at the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York that "the government is prepared to unilaterally withdraw the subpoenas at this time."

The presiding judge, Arun Subramanian, pointed out during the hearing that issuing subpoenas to journalists is a matter that must meet strict legal requirements, and he questioned the Justice Department regarding the appropriateness of the subpoenas, the NYT reported.

Regarding the attempt to obtain phone records of the NYT reporter's relatives, the Justice Department attorney explained that it was a "mistake" and a result of "trying to proceed too quickly."

The NYT argued that the Justice Department's issuance of subpoenas to its reporters failed to meet legal requirements, calling it "an abuse of the grand jury process and evidence of a persistent and malicious attack on journalists."

Judge Subramanian stated that the Justice Department is not prohibited from re-issuing subpoenas to the NYT reporters, provided they follow proper procedures, according to the newspaper.

On the 8th, while departing Turkey after attending the NATO summit, President Trump announced via social media that he would be using the old Air Force One instead of the new one (Boeing 747-8) received from Qatar.

The NYT reported, citing anonymous sources, that this was because the new Air Force One lacked proper defensive countermeasures, including advanced missile defense capabilities.

Prior to the report, a senior FBI official had asked the NYT to reconsider publishing the article for national security reasons and demanded the disclosure of the information source. When the NYT refused, the subpoenas were issued.

Earlier this year, the Justice Department also attempted to issue subpoenas to reporters from the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) and The Washington Post (WP), but withdrew them following strong legal pushback from the news organizations.