The presidential administration has launched an in-depth investigation to determine who disclosed information about security concerns linked to a new aircraft, a gift from Qatar, that was expected to serve as Air Force One.
Sources close to CNN said that several federal administration employees were instructed to hand over their mobile phones to investigators for inspection.
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White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles and FBI Director Kash Patel are leading the process. They are believed to have personally managed the operation from the West Wing, where Patel spent around seven hours in a room near Wiles’ office. The space was turned into what sources described as an “operations center” for overseeing the investigation.
According to CNN reports, President Donald Trump displayed open anger after concerns about the security of the new aircraft came to light. As a result, his administration launched a wide-ranging investigation to identify those behind the leak.
In addition to seizing phones, investigators questioned and requested information from officials who had taken part in the president’s flights or had been involved in their logistics. However, some refused to hand over their personal devices.
The information indicates that at least one federal agency informed its staff that, should other agencies request information or devices, they should immediately notify the institution’s legal department.
The investigation came to light after the Department of Justice issued subpoenas to four journalists from The New York Times who had written about the aircraft’s security flaws. The move has been strongly condemned by press freedom advocacy groups and by the newspaper itself, which has warned that it will challenge the subpoenas in court.
At the center of the controversy is a Boeing 747 worth around $400 million, which Qatar gifted to the administration for presidential service. Initially, Trump planned to use it for an overseas visit, but later returned to the older presidential aircraft.
CNN sources explained that during the flight, security assessments changed and it was concluded that the new aircraft, although equipped with a range of protections, still did not provide the security standard of the current Air Force One.
Military and Secret Service officers have described the introduction of the new aircraft into service as a rushed process. Meanwhile, the newly ordered presidential aircraft are not expected to be operational before 2028 because of the time needed to install modern communications technologies and defense systems.
