Gizem Nisa Çebi Demir
19 June 2026•Update: 19 June 2026
The New York Times has come under renewed scrutiny over its coverage of the investigation into alleged links between US President Donald Trump's 2016 presidential campaign and Russia, after conservative news outlet Just the News argued that the newspaper ignored evidence indicating that federal authorities surveilled members of the campaign.
In a report published Thursday, Just the News challenged a recent New York Times article that said Trump had claimed "without evidence" that the Obama administration abused surveillance powers against his campaign.
The outlet cited a 2019 US Justice Department inspector general report, the guilty plea of former FBI lawyer Kevin Clinesmith for altering an email used in a surveillance warrant application, and the Justice Department's settlement of a lawsuit brought by former Trump campaign adviser Carter Page.
"No American should ever face covert and unlawful surveillance based on their political view," a Justice Department spokesman said after the department agreed to settle Page's lawsuit for $1.25 million in April 2026.
Just the News also pointed to Special Counsel John Durham's 2023 report, which concluded: "Neither US law enforcement nor the Intelligence Community appears to have possessed any actual evidence of collusion in their holdings at the commencement of the Crossfire Hurricane investigation."
Responding to an inquiry from Just the News, The New York Times defended its coverage, saying its "reporting on the challenges to reauthorize Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) section 702 presents readers with a clear and factual picture."
The newspaper has defended its Pulitzer Prize-winning reporting on the Trump-Russia investigation, while Trump has sued the Pulitzer Prize Board over its decision to uphold the awards.
The Pulitzer Prizes are among the highest honors in US journalism, recognizing excellence in reporting, literature, drama, and music since their establishment in 1917 by newspaper publisher Joseph Pulitzer.
