DOJ subpoenas journalist over North Korea SEAL mission report | NK News
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October 05, 2026Oct 05, 2026

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DOJ subpoenas journalist over North Korea SEAL mission report

Reporter slams subpoena as push to ‘force disclosure’ of confidential sources behind claims of 2019 infiltration attempt

The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) has reportedly subpoenaed an investigative journalist over a New York Times report about an alleged secret operation to infiltrate North Korea during President Donald Trump’s first term, which the reporter framed as an effort to force him to reveal confidential sources.

In a statement posted on social media on Saturday, freelance journalist Matthew Cole said he received the subpoena in connection with a Sept. 2025 investigation he co-authored with The Times’ correspondent Dave Philipps, which detailed a previously undisclosed Navy SEAL Team 6 mission in 2019.

“I received a subpoena asking me to testify