SerpApi.Org
FBI Director Kash Patel and White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles are leading an investigation into leaks related to security concerns surrounding a Qatari-donated aircraft that President Donald Trump hopes to use as Air Force One, according to CNN.
The probe has reportedly resulted in some White House officials being asked to surrender their phones as investigators work to identify the source of the disclosures.
Security issues with the new Air Force One
The reported leak prompted a The New York Times story detailing alleged security issues with the aircraft, leaving Trump “fuming,” according to CNN. Patel, who had been scheduled to travel to Chicago, was instead ordered back to Washington, D.C., on Friday, July 10, to oversee the investigation into the leak.
The New York Times later disclosed that the U.S. Justice Department subpoenaed at least four of its reporters as part of the investigation.
“In this case, the subpoenas were not a last resort, which is typically what they’re supposed to do when there is an alleged leak hunt. This time it came within 48 hours of the first story being published. … This was something that was quite known in Washington. It was not a surprise,” White House correspondent Maggie Haberman said during a recent appearance on Morning Joe. “This is not just issuing subpoenas; it’s sending federal agents to people’s homes.”
A ‘significant breach’
CNN reported that investigators have also sought information from individuals who traveled with Trump or played a role in the trip. Not everyone asked to turn over a phone has complied with the request. The outlet described the inquiry as raising questions because it represents a “significant breach” of the independence the Justice Department has traditionally maintained from the presidency.
The New York Times has indicated it intends to challenge the subpoenas in court.
Questions about the approximately $400 million aircraft emerged after Trump unexpectedly announced that he would leave an early July NATO summit in Ankara, Turkey, in an older Air Force One — not the new jet, which was sent Mildenhall Air Force Base in England. Trump said the change would allow U.S. service members stationed at the base to tour the aircraft.
Sources told CNN the new aircraft was “quickly retrofitted with defense capabilities but was still not as secure as the older version.”
The full extent of the reported security differences has not been publicly disclosed.
