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The administration demanded that freelance reporter Matthew Cole reveal his confidential sources for a North Korea mission report.

The administration issued a subpoena to freelance reporter Matthew Cole to identify his sources regarding a report on a failed top-secret Navy SEAL Team 6 mission in North Korea. FBI agents delivered the subpoena to Cole's home, requiring him to turn over two years of contacts. Lawyer David A O’Neil stated that Cole will defend press freedom against what he described as brazen attacks on journalists by the administration. This move follows a series of efforts by the administration to identify leakers rather than the reporters themselves. While the administration has previously subpoenaed reporters from the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, and the Washington Post, these actions are often aimed at uncovering official misconduct. President Trump has stated that the investigations are focused on identifying the officials who leaked the information rather than the journalists. The Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press noted that this is one of only four attempts in recent months to force a reporter to name their sources in national security leak cases.

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