Miller backed arresting journalists to expose sources, report says; DOJ denies it

White House and Justice Department officials have talked about arresting journalists to pressure them into naming their confidential government sources. The Atlantic reported this Friday, citing three people familiar with the discussions ²³. A Justice Department spokesperson denied the report, calling it false ²³.

The report comes as Stephen Miller, the aide said to support the idea, takes over as White House chief of staff today, Monday, Nov. 9 ¹³. Two of the sources said the outgoing chief of staff, Susie Wiles, pushed back on forcing reporters to give up their sources ¹². According to one source quoted by The Atlantic, Miller "was in favor and insisted that it wouldn't take long for journalists to give up their sources" ².

No journalist has been reported arrested. Neither The Atlantic nor the outlets that followed its story reported that any decision had been made ³. The account depends on unnamed sources ³⁴.

What the report says

According to The Atlantic, President Trump has urged the Justice Department to pursue criminal leak investigations on national security grounds ²³. Attorney General Todd Blanche runs the department ³.

From Channel GOPRaskin reads judge's ruling against Patel's Epstein excuseJamie Raskin · 8 plays · captioned, with the source named

Leaks may have played a part in Wiles's exit. Trump reportedly felt betrayed by a recent New York Times story that quoted, word for word, his political team joking before the election about how bad things looked ². On Nov. 6, Trump announced that Miller would replace Wiles, who is moving to his political operation ¹³.

People familiar with Trump's thinking told The Atlantic that he wants someone who "will crack skulls" and "doesn't want to be reined in" ². The magazine described Wiles as "something of a guardrail." It said Miller "has played the role of an accelerant for a president who already has rash tendencies" ².

In a statement, the White House said unauthorized leaks would "NEVER be tolerated" ³⁴. The statement did not say whether arresting journalists had been discussed ³⁴.

Not the first time reporters have been targeted

Even if no arrests are planned, this year has already seen several moves against reporters. In January, the FBI searched the home of Washington Post reporter Hannah Natanson and took her devices. The search was part of an investigation into a government contractor accused of mishandling classified information. A federal court later ruled that a federal law, the Privacy Protection Act, barred prosecutors from searching her materials ³.

In June, the Justice Department tried to make four journalists at The Washington Post and The Wall Street Journal testify before a grand jury. They could have faced contempt proceedings if they refused a court order. The department withdrew the subpoenas after the newspapers fought them ³⁴.

In July, The New York Times reported that Trump had switched back to his old plane on the Secret Service's advice, after flying the new Air Force One donated by Qatar to a NATO meeting in Turkey ⁵. On July 10, Wiles and FBI Director Kash Patel ran a leak investigation out of the White House ⁵. That same day, a U.S. attorney subpoenaed three Times reporters to testify about their confidential sources and sought their phone records ⁵. Prosecutors dropped those subpoenas on July 23 after a federal judge sharply questioned how the leak investigation was being handled ³.

That matters because the law here is long settled. Journalists do not break the law by receiving classified information from a leaker and writing about it, even if the leaker broke the law ¹. In 1971, the Nixon administration tried to stop The New York Times from publishing leaked files on the Vietnam War. The Supreme Court ruled for the newspaper ¹.

A shield law that has stalled for years

A "shield law" protects reporters from being forced to reveal their sources. Many states have one, but state shield laws do not cover federal investigations, and as of 2023 there was no federal shield law ⁶. A bipartisan bill called the PRESS Act would fill that gap ⁶.

The bill would bar the federal government from forcing reporters to reveal confidential sources or hand over their research files. It would also protect journalists' phone and email records held by phone and internet companies from secret seizure, with narrow exceptions for terrorism and imminent threats of violence ⁶. It passed the House unanimously in the 2021-2022 Congress ⁶. Democrats Jamie Raskin of Maryland and Ron Wyden of Oregon sponsored it in 2023 alongside Republicans Kevin Kiley of California and Mike Lee of Utah ⁶.

Spying on reporters to learn the identity of their sources is a finger in the eye of the First Amendment.

Our bipartisan PRESS Act vindicates the promise of journalistic freedom.

The pattern is clear: three times this year, prosecutors went after reporters' testimony, phone records or devices and then backed off when courts or newspapers pushed back ³⁴. The new report suggests some officials wanted tougher tools. Republicans lost control of Congress in last week's midterm elections ¹. That means the people who sponsored a federal shield law will have more power to bring it back next year.

The Record

1. Jun 21, 2023Reps. Jamie Raskin and Kevin Kiley reintroduce the bipartisan PRESS Act to shield reporters' sources; Sens. Wyden, Lee and Durbin introduce a Senate version ⁶
2. Jul 10, 2026Wiles and FBI Director Kash Patel run a leak investigation from the White House; a U.S. attorney subpoenas three New York Times reporters to testify about sources ⁵
3. Jul 23, 2026Prosecutors withdraw the Times subpoenas after a federal judge sharply questions the leak investigation ³
4. Nov 6, 2026Trump announces Stephen Miller will replace Susie Wiles as chief of staff; The Atlantic reports officials discussed arresting journalists, with Miller in favor ²³
5. Nov 9, 2026Miller takes over as White House chief of staff ¹³

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<h2>Miller backed arresting journalists to expose sources, report says; DOJ denies it</h2> <p><em>By The GOP Files Investigations Desk. This article first appeared on <a href="https://thegopfiles.com/story/miller-backed-arresting-journalists-to-expose-sources-report-says-doj-denies-it">The GOP Files</a> on Monday, November 9, 2026.</em></p> <p>White House and Justice Department officials have talked about arresting journalists to pressure them into naming their confidential government sources. The Atlantic reported this Friday, citing three people familiar with the discussions . A Justice Department spokesperson denied the report, calling it false .</p> <p>The report comes as Stephen Miller, the aide said to support the idea, takes over as White House chief of staff today, Monday, Nov. 9 . Two of the sources said the outgoing chief of staff, Susie Wiles, pushed back on forcing reporters to give up their sources . According to one source quoted by The Atlantic, Miller &quot;was in favor and insisted that it wouldn&#39;t take long for journalists to give up their sources&quot; .</p> <p>No journalist has been reported arrested. Neither The Atlantic nor the outlets that followed its story reported that any decision had been made . The account depends on unnamed sources .</p> <h2>What the report says</h2> <p>According to The Atlantic, President Trump has urged the Justice Department to pursue criminal leak investigations on national security grounds . Attorney General Todd Blanche runs the department .</p> <p>Leaks may have played a part in Wiles&#39;s exit. Trump reportedly felt betrayed by a recent New York Times story that quoted, word for word, his political team joking before the election about how bad things looked . On Nov. 6, Trump announced that Miller would replace Wiles, who is moving to his political operation .</p> <p>People familiar with Trump&#39;s thinking told The Atlantic that he wants someone who &quot;will crack skulls&quot; and &quot;doesn&#39;t want to be reined in&quot; . The magazine described Wiles as &quot;something of a guardrail.&quot; It said Miller &quot;has played the role of an accelerant for a president who already has rash tendencies&quot; .</p> <p>In a statement, the White House said unauthorized leaks would &quot;NEVER be tolerated&quot; . The statement did not say whether arresting journalists had been discussed .</p> <h2>Not the first time reporters have been targeted</h2> <p>Even if no arrests are planned, this year has already seen several moves against reporters. In January, the FBI searched the home of Washington Post reporter Hannah Natanson and took her devices. The search was part of an investigation into a government contractor accused of mishandling classified information. A federal court later ruled that a federal law, the Privacy Protection Act, barred prosecutors from searching her materials .</p> <p>In June, the Justice Department tried to make four journalists at The Washington Post and The Wall Street Journal testify before a grand jury. They could have faced contempt proceedings if they refused a court order. The department withdrew the subpoenas after the newspapers fought them .</p> <p>In July, The New York Times reported that Trump had switched back to his old plane on the Secret Service&#39;s advice, after flying the new Air Force One donated by Qatar to a NATO meeting in Turkey . On July 10, Wiles and FBI Director Kash Patel ran a leak investigation out of the White House . That same day, a U.S. attorney subpoenaed three Times reporters to testify about their confidential sources and sought their phone records . Prosecutors dropped those subpoenas on July 23 after a federal judge sharply questioned how the leak investigation was being handled .</p> <p>That matters because the law here is long settled. Journalists do not break the law by receiving classified information from a leaker and writing about it, even if the leaker broke the law . In 1971, the Nixon administration tried to stop The New York Times from publishing leaked files on the Vietnam War. The Supreme Court ruled for the newspaper .</p> <h2>A shield law that has stalled for years</h2> <p>A &quot;shield law&quot; protects reporters from being forced to reveal their sources. Many states have one, but state shield laws do not cover federal investigations, and as of 2023 there was no federal shield law . A bipartisan bill called the PRESS Act would fill that gap .</p> <p>The bill would bar the federal government from forcing reporters to reveal confidential sources or hand over their research files. It would also protect journalists&#39; phone and email records held by phone and internet companies from secret seizure, with narrow exceptions for terrorism and imminent threats of violence . It passed the House unanimously in the 2021-2022 Congress . Democrats Jamie Raskin of Maryland and Ron Wyden of Oregon sponsored it in 2023 alongside Republicans Kevin Kiley of California and Mike Lee of Utah .</p> <blockquote><p>Spying on reporters to learn the identity of their sources is a finger in the eye of the First Amendment.</p><p>&mdash; Ron Wyden, U.S. senator, D-Oregon, PRESS Act sponsor (2023 statement)</p></blockquote> <blockquote><p>Our bipartisan PRESS Act vindicates the promise of journalistic freedom.</p><p>&mdash; Jamie Raskin, U.S. representative, D-Maryland, PRESS Act sponsor (2023 statement)</p></blockquote> <p>The pattern is clear: three times this year, prosecutors went after reporters&#39; testimony, phone records or devices and then backed off when courts or newspapers pushed back . The new report suggests some officials wanted tougher tools. Republicans lost control of Congress in last week&#39;s midterm elections . That means the people who sponsored a federal shield law will have more power to bring it back next year.</p> <p><em>Read the original, with every source linked, at <a href="https://thegopfiles.com/story/miller-backed-arresting-journalists-to-expose-sources-report-says-doj-denies-it">thegopfiles.com</a>. Republished under The GOP Files' <a href="https://thegopfiles.com/republish">free republishing terms</a>.</em></p> <img src="https://thegopfiles.com/api/rp/miller-backed-arresting-journalists-to-expose-sources-report-says-doj-denies-it.gif" alt="" width="1" height="1" style="border:0;width:1px;height:1px">

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Sources

1. The Independent (via Yahoo News), “Stephen Miller and the DOJ hatching plan to throw journalists in jail over leaks: report” (2026-11-08). yahoo.com/news/politics/articles/stephen-miller-doj-hatching
2. Raw Story, “Alarm bells as journalists face arrest risks under Trump's new chief of staff: report” (2026-11-07). rawstory.com/stephen-miller-2678322963/
3. International Business Times UK, “Stephen Miller Has Reportedly Advocated for Criminal Investigations Into Journalists Over Leaks” (2026-11-07). ibtimes.co.uk/stephen-miller-journalists-confidential-source
4. The Daily Beast (via Yahoo News), “Stephen Miller's Plot for Sickening Crackdown on Free Speech Is Leaked” (2026-11-07). yahoo.com/news/politics/articles/stephen-miller-plot-sickeni
5. U.S. Press Freedom Tracker, “Susie Wiles intimidates leakers, press as White House chief of staff” (2026-07-21). pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/susie-wiles-intimidates
6. Office of Rep. Jamie Raskin (house.gov), “Raskin, Kiley Introduce PRESS Act to Protect Reporters' First Amendment Rights Against Government Surveillance” (2023-06-21). raskin.house.gov/2023/6/raskin-kiley-introduce-press-act-to-

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