代理司法部长托德·布兰奇周二表示，媒体成员“不应该感到惊讶”,如果他们收到传票，要求他们提供与国家安全敏感问题相关的消息来源的信息，此前《华尔街日报》报道称，该媒体收到了因其对伊朗战争的报道而发出的传票。
布兰奇说:“起诉那些与记者分享我们国家秘密的泄密者，进而危及我们的国家安全和我们士兵的生命，是本届政府的首要任务。”。“任何证人，无论是记者还是其他人，如果他们收到关于非法泄露机密材料的传票，都不应该感到惊讶。”
华尔街日报周一报道称，该机构在3月份收到了与2月23日的一篇文章有关的传票，这篇文章报道了军方官员向唐纳德·特朗普总统发出的警告针对伊朗的军事行动.
据《华尔街日报》报道，特朗普后来亲自敦促布兰奇更积极地追查与战争有关的泄密事件——有一次，他给他看了一份文章清单，上面贴着一张便条，上面写着“叛国罪”。
司法部发言人在给美国广播公司新闻的一份声明中说，“在任何情况下，司法部都遵循事实并适用法律来确定那些对美国犯下罪行的人。”
布兰奇此前在新闻发布会上表示，DOJ将继续直接针对记者发出传票，这让媒体和第一修正案倡导者感到震惊，他们指出此举是对最近先例的打破。
拜登政府下的司法部此前实施了严格的指导方针，规定检察官何时可以对记者采取强制法律行动，并将此类行动视为美国国家安全受到威胁时的最后手段。
时任司法部长帕姆·邦迪废除了那些指导方针去年。
Todd Blanche says media 'should not be surprised' if they're subpoenaed over national security stories
Acting Attorney GeneralTodd Blanchesaid Tuesday that members of the media "should not be surprised" if they receive subpoenas for information related to their sources on stories pertaining to national security-sensitive matters, following a Wall Street Journal report that the outlet received subpoenas stemming from its coverage of the war in Iran.
"Prosecuting leakers who share our nation's secrets with reporters, in turn risking our national security and the lives of our soldiers, is a priority for this administration," Blanche said. "Any witness, whether a reporter or otherwise, who has information about these criminals should not be surprised if they receive a subpoena about the illegal leaking of classified material."
The Wall Street Journal reported Monday that the outlet received subpoenas back in March related to a Feb. 23 article that reported on military officials' warnings to President Donald Trump of the risks of carrying outmilitary action against Iran.
Trump, according to the Journal, later personally urged Blanche to more aggressively pursue leaks related to the war -- at one point sliding him a list of articles with a sticky note on it reading, "Treason."
A Justice Department spokesperson, in a statement to ABC News, said, "In all circumstances, the Department of Justice follows the facts and applies the law to identify those committing crimes against the United States."
Blanche previously had said in a news conference that the DOJ would be moving forward with directly targeting reporters with subpoenas, alarming media outlets and First Amendment advocates who have noted the move is a break with recent precedent.
The Justice Department under the Biden administration had previously implemented strict guidelines for when prosecutors could use compulsory legal action to target reporters, framing such moves as the last resort when U.S. national security is imperiled.
Then-Attorney General Pam Bondirescinded those guidelineslast year.
