The Trump administration reportedly sought the phone records of New York Times journalists and their relatives, according to a motion unsealed Monday, as part of their effort to unmask anonymous sources.

The Justice Department has defended the issuance of subpoenas in the effort as trying to target the leakers, who are revealing classified information, and not journalists who are reporting the stories, according to the Associated Press.

The New York Times claimed in a letter-motion it filed over the weekend that the subpoenas were more expansive than previously reported, including by targeting the relatives of reporters, including one person's mother and two reporters' spouses.

“The disclosure of additional subpoenas for confidential newsgathering information of the Journalists is deeply concerning, revealing yet another instance of the alarming pattern of conduct detailed in the Motion to Quash,” the news organization’s lawyers wrote.

“These actions demonstrate abuse of the grand jury process, continued bad faith attacks on the Journalists, violations of the Department’s own internal regulations and disregard for the law in this Circuit intended to protect critical First Amendment interests,” the motion added.

The letter also claimed that the records sought by the administration were looking for information from a wide date-range, dating back to the beginning of the year.

“Two of the subpoenas seek records beginning on January 1, 2026, long before the events that are purportedly the basis for the Department’s investigation," the lawyers wrote. “That timeframe strongly suggests that the Department is using this investigation not to focus on any purported concerns arising from the July 8 and 9 articles, but instead to forage for information about the Journalists’ source relationships more broadly.”

The three reporters included in the probe were reporting on security concerns regarding President Donald Trump's Qatari-gifted Air Force One jet.

Misty Severi is a news reporter for Just The News. You can follow her on X for more coverage.