WASHINGTON: The Pentagon and the US Department of Justice formed a task force to investigate and prosecute unauthorised disclosures of sensitive information to the media, Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth said.
Hegseth announced the initiative in a video posted on X on July 13. He said leaks risk lives and weaken national security.
The defence secretary said he gave the Pentagon’s Office of General Counsel authority to request records, information and support across the department for media-leak investigations.
Hegseth also thanked Acting US Attorney General Todd Blanche. He said the Pentagon and Justice Department were working together more closely than before.
The announcement came days after the Justice Department issued subpoenas to several New York Times reporters, The Washington Post reported.
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The subpoenas relate to reporting on security concerns involving President Donald Trump’s new Qatar-donated Air Force One plane.
The Associated Press reported that the subpoenas covered five New York Times reporters and drew criticism from press-freedom advocates.
The New York Times said its July 8 and July 9 reports raised questions about security features on the new aircraft. The paper said reporters received subpoenas to testify before a federal grand jury in Manhattan.
David McCraw, the newspaper’s top newsroom lawyer, criticised the subpoenas. He said federal agents approaching reporters should alarm Americans who believe in constitutional press freedom.
