White House Orders FBI Director Kash Patel to Lead Air Force One Leak Probe

The White House directed FBI Director Kash Patel to oversee a leak investigation after The New York Times reported security shortcomings on the newly‑acquired Qatari‑donated Air Force One. Patel canceled a planned trip to Chicago and spent roughly eight hours at the White House, running the probe from there—an unusual break from standard FBI practice.

Subpoenas were issued to several Times reporters, some personally delivered to their homes on Friday night, demanding testimony about an alleged violation of federal criminal law. Administration officials said the inquiry targets leakers of classified information, not the journalists. White House communications director Steven Cheung said, “President Trump is laser focused on helping the American people and keeping them safe.” Justice Department spokesperson Emily Covington added, “Every administration has addressed the crime of leaking national security information… reporters are not the targets.”

The reporting had sparked Trump’s anger because it detailed the lack of defensive counter‑measures on the new plane, which he had used for a NATO meeting in Turkey before switching back to the older aircraft due to Secret Service concerns.