US subpoena targeted Times freelancer in North Korea leak probe
What's new: Prosecutors sought more than two years of Matthew Cole's notes and testimony over a 2025 report on a failed US mission.
The US Justice Department subpoenaed New York Times freelancer Matthew Cole as part of an investigation into sourcing for a 2025 story about a failed US military operation in North Korea, the newspaper said Friday. Virginia prosecutors issued the subpoena in February, seeking 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 in early 2019 killed several unarmed North Koreans during a 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. Justice Department officials did not immediately respond to a request for comment.