US Justice Department subpoenas New York Times freelancer over North Korea story, paper says (updated)

The New York Times

02/08/2026 24:15

Adds statements from DOJ, O'Neil in paragraphs 5, 8-9
Aug 1 (Reuters) - The Justice Department has subpoenaed the records of a freelance journalist for the New York Times as part of a probe into the sourcing of a 2025 story about a botched U.S. military operation in North Korea, the newspaper said on Saturday.
Freelancer Matthew Cole was subpoenaed in February by Virginia prosecutors seeking more than two years' worth of his notes as well as his testimony, according to the newspaper. Reuters could not immediately independently verify the information, but a spokesman for the Times said Cole is disclosing the subpoena. 
“We support Matthew Cole’s decision to make public a subpoena that the government has attempted to keep secret," New York Times spokesperson Charlie Stadtlander said in an emailed statement.
The story co-written by Cole detailed how Navy SEALs in early 2019 killed several unarmed North Koreans during a mission to plant a listening device near the country's coast, citing two dozen unnamed sources.
A spokesperson for the Justice Department did not address Cole's specific case, but said that the DOJ "will use all available legal tools to uncover those who unlawfully disclose national defense information."
Stadtlander called the subpoena of Cole "another brazen and illegal attack from the administration designed to deny the public information of vital importance.” 
The New York Times article said the newspaper is paying for Cole's legal representation.
Cole's reporting "helps the public understand what the government is doing in its name," said his attorney, David A. O'Neil.
"He will not be intimidated by efforts to suppress information that the administration considers unflattering," O'Neil said.

 (Reporting by Ernest Scheyder; Editing by Sergio Non, Alistair Bell and Mark Porter)
 ((ernest.scheyder@thomsonreuters.com; X: @ErnestScheyder; +1-469-691-7667; Reuters Messaging: ernest.scheyder.thomsonreuters.com@reuters.net/))