Wiles, Patel Led Leak Probe Over $400 Million Qatari Jet, Seeking Officials' Phones
Updated
Updated · CNN · Jul 15
Wiles, Patel Led Leak Probe Over $400 Million Qatari Jet, Seeking Officials' Phones
2 articles · Updated · CNN · Jul 15
Summary
Susie Wiles and FBI Director Kash Patel personally ran a White House leak investigation last week into disclosures about security flaws on the $400 million Qatari-gifted plane intended for Air Force One.
At least some officials were asked on White House grounds to surrender their phones, and investigators sought information from people who traveled with Trump or worked on the trip; not all complied.
Patel was diverted from a planned Chicago trip and spent about seven hours beside Wiles in what one source called a West Wing “war room,” after Trump fumed over the leaks.
The probe became public after the Justice Department subpoenaed four New York Times journalists, drawing press-freedom criticism and underscoring White House involvement in a law-enforcement investigation.
The leaks centered on why Trump switched planes after the NATO summit in Turkey: sources said the retrofitted jet was still less secure than the older aircraft, while two replacement Air Force One jets remain delayed until at least 2028.