'Brazen and illegal': Trump DOJ stuns with 'chilling' subpoena

The Department of Justice is stunning journalists and advocates with another subpoena in its "escalating" series of attacks.

According to reporting by The New York Times, the DOJ subpoenaed one of its freelancers in an attempt to identify his sources for a story about a failed top-secret mission in North Korea.

"It's another step toward chilling free speech and press freedom," journalist Karly Kingsley wrote in an X post reacting to the news. "There is no democracy without a free press."

According to The Times, FBI agents showed up at the home of Matthew Cole, a freelancer and author, to deliver a grand jury subpoena issued by prosecutors from Virginia.

Investigators are seeking Cole's testimony on two years' worth of information about his contacts and conversations in an attempt to identify the source for his North Korea reporting, The Times reported.

News of the move comes after the DOJ subpoenaed three New York Times journalists who reported on security problems with President Donald Trump's Qatari jet.

DOJ prosecutors ultimately withdrew their subpoenas, but free press advocates are warning that the Trump administration is escalating its hunt for journalists' sources after reporter Max Blumenthal's phones were seized in July.

Charlie Stadtlander, a spokesman for The Times, called the latest subpoena "another brazen and illegal attack from the administration designed to deny the public information of vital importance," and warned of "the government's escalating attacks on journalists."

The Times is providing Cole's legal defense, its article noted.

"These fascist morons think the NYT won't defend a freelance reporter," journalist Kim Masters reacted in a post on Bluesky.

The Times noted that The Wall Street Journal and The Washington Post have dealt with similar subpoenas seeking information about their reporting in recent months, but the Trump administration has backed down in those cases as well.