The paper previously claimed that the plane, dubbed a “flying palace,” lacks standard security features
The Trump administration has served several New York Times journalists with subpoenas after the newspaper ran an article questioning the safety of the Air Force One jet donated by Qatar last year. The outlet has in turn accused the White House of attempting to suppress the freedom of the press.
On Thursday, the Times published an article claiming that the new presidential plane – dubbed by the media a “flying palace” and valued at around $400 million – lacks standard security features, including anti-missile defenses. Trump used it to travel to the NATO summit in Türkiye earlier this week.
However, the paper cited anonymous officials as saying that security flaws were the reason the US president abruptly swapped the new airplane for the old Air Force One on his return flight on Wednesday. The decision was supposedly made at the urging of the Secret Service.
According to the newspaper, shortly before the article was published, a senior FBI official reached out, asking that the piece be spiked on national security grounds. The official also reportedly pressed the newspaper to divulge its sources.
On Friday, federal agents showed up at some of its journalists’ homes, delivering subpoenas that require them to testify before a federal grand jury in Manhattan next week, the NYT said.
The paper described the development as an “extraordinary escalation in President Trump’s efforts to threaten and intimidate independent news organizations.” The writs reportedly were issued by US Attorney for the Southern District of New York Jay Clayton “in regard to an alleged violation of federal criminal law.”
“The appearance of federal law enforcement agents on the doorstep of news reporters should shock the conscience of any American who believes in the Constitution and the press freedom it protects,” NYT lawyer David McCraw stated.
Trump has repeatedly branded mainstream media outlets “crooked” and accused them of displaying bias against his administration.
The donation of the Boeing 747-8 to the US government by the Qatari royal family was announced last May. Commentators at the time noted that it could be the most expensive gift ever given to Washington by a foreign government.
Representative Jamie Raskin, the top Democrat on the House Oversight Committee, was quick to describe the Qatari present as “grift,” insisting that “Trump must seek Congress’ consent” before accepting. Republican Senator Ted Cruz, in turn, warned that the plane “poses significant espionage and surveillance problems.”
Trump defended the move, however, writing on his Truth Social platform that “it is a ‘gift from a Nation’ to the US government ‘NOT TO ME’.”
In a statement last month, the US Air Force acknowledged that the “collective team made trades on some of the less commonly used mission sets” when clearing the Qatari-donated plane for operation.
Meanwhile, the US Air Force’s contract with Boeing for two new Air Force One jets has been plagued by delays and cost overruns. Originally scheduled for delivery in 2024, the customized 747-8 aircraft are now expected to arrive as late as 2028.
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