Story perspectives

DOJ Subpoenas Author Over Secret North Korea Mission Report

8/2/2026

Summary

Story summary

DOJ subpoenaed freelance author Matthew Cole to identify the source of his reporting on a failed top-secret North Korea mission.
FBI agents delivered the grand-jury subpoena to Cole’s Virginia home, where prosecutors seek two years of his contacts and conversations.
The New York Times called the subpoena “another brazen and illegal attack” and noted it follows earlier DOJ subpoenas of its journalists about President Donald Trump’s Qatari jet were withdrawn.

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Story summary

DOJ subpoenaed freelance author Matthew Cole to identify the source of his reporting on a failed top-secret North Korea mission.
FBI agents delivered the grand-jury subpoena to Cole’s Virginia home, where prosecutors seek two years of his contacts and conversations.
The New York Times called the subpoena “another brazen and illegal attack” and noted it follows earlier DOJ subpoenas of its journalists about President Donald Trump’s Qatari jet were withdrawn.