White House Directed Patel to Oversee Investigation Involving Times Reporting [View all]

Source: New York Times

July 11, 2026 Updated 4:51 p.m. ET


The White House directed Kash Patel, the F.B.I. director, to oversee a leak investigation into reporting by The New York Times about security issues with the new Air Force One, leading to a flurry of subpoenas to several Times reporters Friday night, according to people with knowledge of the situation.

Mr. Patel scuttled a planned trip to Chicago and spent roughly eight hours at the White House on Friday, running the investigation from there rather than F.B.I. headquarters -- a major departure from historical practice. Mr. Patel also briefed senior administration officials on the investigation, two people said. The people spoke on the condition of anonymity to describe sensitive internal discussions.

The White House's deep involvement in the case came after officials said that President Trump was enraged about the coverage of the Qatari-donated plane, which The Times reported Thursday lacks the same defensive countermeasures of the previous Air Force One. Mr. Trump flew on the new jet to a NATO meeting in Turkey earlier in the week, but was forced to change to the old plane when he departed because of Secret Service concerns, as The Times reported on Wednesday.

Mr. Patel's role in the investigation, in close coordination with top administration officials, reflects a further dismantling of the wall that had separated the White House and the F.B.I. in previous administrations. The government's effort to immediately seek information from journalists, when such cases are typically centered first on identifying potential internal wrongdoing by officials, comes as the Trump administration has intensified pressure on news organizations.

Read more: https://www.nytimes.com/2026/07/11/us/politics/white-house-patel-investigation-times.html