US subpoena targeted NYT freelancer in North Korea leak probe
Why it matters: Prosecutors sought more than two years of notes and testimony tied to a 2025 report on a failed US mission.
The Justice Department subpoenaed records from New York Times freelancer Matthew Cole as part of an investigation into the sourcing of a 2025 article about a botched US military operation in North Korea, the newspaper said Friday. Virginia prosecutors issued the subpoena in February and sought more than two years of Cole’s notes as well as his testimony, according to the Times. Cole co-wrote a report that said Navy SEALs killed several unarmed North Koreans during an early 2019 mission to place a listening device near the country’s coast, citing two dozen unnamed sources. The Times said it is paying for Cole’s legal representation. The Justice Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment.