The Trump administration issued subpoenas Friday to several New York Times journalists following the newspaper’s reporting on possible security gaps involving the president’s newer Air Force One, according to the paper. The subpoenas direct the reporters to appear before a federal grand jury in Manhattan on Wednesday. Federal agents delivered some of the documents directly to reporters at their homes, the Times said. The White House and Justice Department did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the matter.
The paper’s top newsroom lawyer, David McCraw, called the use of federal agents to serve reporters at their residences a troubling escalation that threatens constitutional press protections.
Questions grew after a midweek plane swap
The dispute traces back to a sudden change in travel plans this week. President Trump had flown the new Air Force One, a Boeing 747 donated by Qatar, to a NATO summit in Turkey. But he left Turkey on Wednesday aboard one of the older Air Force One jets bound for RAF Mildenhall, a Royal Air Force base in Suffolk, England. Both aircraft ultimately landed at Mildenhall, and the president switched back to the newer jet for the return flight to Joint Base Andrews.
The Times reported the switch followed concerns raised by the Secret Service. A day later, the paper reported the newer aircraft was missing some of the advanced security equipment found on the older plane, including antimissile systems, citing anonymous officials. The reporting arrived as a fragile ceasefire between the United States and Iran unraveled, with American strikes on Iranian targets followed by Iranian attacks on three Gulf Arab nations.
Trump downplayed any security issue
The president rejected the idea that safety concerns drove the decision, telling reporters traveling with him that the dual plane arrangement had nothing to do with threats tied to Iran. When asked whether he was aware of any credible threat against Air Force One, he brushed the question aside, noting instead that he is often near the top of lists of people targeted by adversaries. He had earlier posted that the Mildenhall stop was arranged so service members stationed there could see the new aircraft up close.
White House defends the jet’s security
White House spokesman Steven Cheung pushed back on the reporting, describing the new Air Force One as a state of the art aircraft outfitted with high level security protocols meant to protect the president and his staff. He added that numerous adversaries have Trump in their sights and that the administration uses every available tool to counter those threats.
Two former Air Force officials who worked on efforts to bring new presidential aircraft into service told the Times they were caught off guard by the jet’s early use overseas. A full retrofit of a 747 for presidential travel typically takes well over a year, one former official said, suggesting the aircraft may not yet carry every modification normally required before flying outside the country.
Democrats raise their own concerns over subpoenas
A group of Senate Democrats had already pressed the Trump administration on the decision earlier in the week, arguing that the president’s own comments about the jet’s luxury suggested personal comfort played as large a role as security in choosing when and how to use it.
The Air Force acknowledged some equipment changes were made to the plane but maintained that no risk was taken with security, safety or mission communications, saying tradeoffs were limited to less commonly used systems.
Before the Times published its Wednesday article, a senior FBI official contacted the paper and asked that it be held for national security reasons, according to the Times, though the official declined to detail what those concerns involved.
