Justice Department Subpoenas Wall Street Journal Reporters in Probe of Classified Iran War Plans Leak

U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche defended issuing subpoenas to journalists on Tuesday as the Justice Department faced scrutiny over grand jury demands sent to The Wall Street Journal. Blanche posted on X to explain the action, which stems from a leak investigation into reporting on the war with Iran.

The Wall Street Journal revealed it received the subpoenas on March 4. The demands relate to the newspaper's February 23 article that reported the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and others at the Pentagon had warned President Trump about the risks of an extended military campaign against Iran. Other news media outlets published similar stories around February 23.

The subpoenas demand records from Journal reporters. A Justice Department official stated the subpoenas are not aimed at investigating the journalists themselves but at tracking down government employees leaking 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," Blanche said in a statement. " The episode echoes an earlier incident this year in which the FBI executed a search warrant at the home of Washington Post reporter Hannah Natanson.

Agents collected Hannah Natanson's phone, laptops, Garmin watch and portable hard drives during that search.

The action was part of an investigation into a government contractor who was later indicted for allegedly disseminating classified material. In April 2025, then-Attorney General Pam Bondi issued a memo that made it easier for prosecutors investigating leaks to the news media to subpoena records and testimony from journalists. Pam Bondi's memo rescinded a policy implemented by Merrick Garland.