Trump's chilling 'treason' note revealed as he hunts down Iran war leakers... and Israel bombshell sparks fury

By ROSS IBBETSON, ASSOCIATE EDITOR Published: 14:44, 12 May 2026 | Updated: 14:59, 12 May 2026 Donald Trump handed his acting Attorney General a stack of Iran war news articles with a single word scrawled on a sticky note: 'Treason.'  The President privately raged to Todd Blanche last month about the leaks, prompting the Justice Department to launch an aggressive pursuit of reporters' sources behind sensitive national security stories, the Wall Street Journal reported.  Subpoenaing reporters has for decades been treated as a nuclear option, deployed only after every other investigative avenue is exhausted, but former AG Pam Bondi shredded Biden-era protections last year, clearing a path for the crackdown. Among the stories that sparked Trump's fury was an April 7 New York Times bombshell, which revealed that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu personally lobbied the President to launch the war during a secret Situation Room presentation. The article said that Vice President JD Vance warned the war could 'break apart Trump's political coalition', CIA Director John Ratcliffe dismissed Netanyahu's pitch as 'farcical,' and Secretary of State Marco Rubio branded it 'bulls***.' The Wall Street Journal was subpoenaed over a February 23 article that revealed General Dan Caine, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, had warned Trump about the risks of an extended military campaign in Iran.  Axios and the Washington Post published similar stories the same day. Trump launched the war five days later, on February 28. Donald Trump speaks flanked by acting Attorney General Todd Blanche during a press briefing after an assassination attempt at the White House Correspondents' Dinner on April 25 Donald Trump holds a press conference with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at his Mar-a-Lago club on December 29, 2025 in Palm Beach, Florida Smoke rises from the area after it was targeted in attacks as a series of explosions are heard in Tehran, Iran on March 1 The President was also incensed by media coverage of the massive rescue operation launched after an American fighter jet was shot down over Iran on April 3, leaving two airmen missing behind enemy lines.  Trump believed that reports that a second airman remained missing after the first had been rescued would jeopardize the mission.  'We're going to go to the media company that released it, and we're going to say, "national security; give it up or go to jail,"' Trump said at a news conference.  The rescue operation had been reported by numerous outlets, leaving it unclear which one Trump was threatening.  Trump ousted Bondi in early April, incensed that she had failed to successfully prosecute a string of his political enemies. Blanche, who grew close to the President while serving as his defense attorney during the New York hush money trial, took over as acting AG and has publicly argued Trump has 'a right and a duty' to influence the Justice Department's criminal probes. Asked about Trump's threat over the downed jet, Blanche told a press conference: 'If that means sending a subpoena to the reporter, that's exactly what we should do, and that's exactly what we will be doing.' The leaks crackdown has escalated on multiple fronts. Trump, right, and Vice President JD Vance sit in the Situation Room as they monitor the mission that took out three Iranian nuclear enrichment sites, at the White House on June 21, 2025 in Washington, DC A yacht sails past a plume of smoke rising from the port of Jebel Ali following a reported Iranian strike in Dubai on March 1 Trump, Marco Rubio and White House chief of staff Susie Wiles at Mar-a-Lago on February 28 as the US launched strikes on Iran Explosions from projectile interceptions by Israel's Iron Dome missile defense system are pictured over Tel Aviv on February 28 Federal agents stormed a Washington Post reporter's home in January as part of an investigation into a Pentagon contractor accused of smuggling classified intelligence reports about US military movements in Venezuela. The raid stunned former federal prosecutors, as the Justice Department already had enough evidence to charge the engineer.  A judge in February rejected prosecutors' requests to search devices seized from the reporter's home, ruling that the court would conduct its own review.  Dow Jones, the Journal's publisher, said in a statement: 'The government's subpoenas to The Wall Street Journal and our reporters represent an attack on constitutionally protected newsgathering. We will vigorously oppose this effort to stifle and intimidate essential reporting.' The New York Times declined to comment. The White House and the Justice Department have been contacted for comment. No comments have so far been submitted. Why not be the first to send us your thoughts, or debate this issue live on our message boards. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? 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