White House Directed FBI Director Patel to Oversee the Leak Probe Into Times Air Force One Reporting

The White House directed FBI Director Kash Patel to oversee a leak investigation into New York Times reporting about security gaps in the Qatari-donated Air Force One, according to people with knowledge of the matter cited by the Times. Patel scrapped a planned trip to Chicago and spent roughly eight hours at the White House on July 10, 2026 running the investigation from there rather than FBI headquarters, and briefed senior administration officials. That night, four Times reporters were served with grand jury subpoenas, some delivered by federal agents to their homes. Before publication, a senior FBI official had asked the Times to hold the story and to identify its sources; the paper refused. The subpoenas were issued by U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton in Manhattan. A White House spokesman said the President is "laser focused" on public safety; a Justice Department spokeswoman said reporters "are not the targets"; an FBI spokesperson called reporting about the nature of the White House meeting "absolutely false."

Running an FBI leak investigation from the White House complex departs from the post-Watergate practice of insulating criminal investigations from presidential direction, and doing so in a matter arising from coverage embarrassing to the President compounds the concern. Standard practice in leak cases is to exhaust internal avenues before approaching journalists.

The reporters were ordered to appear before a Manhattan grand jury on July 15. The Times has called the subpoenas a "brazen act," and press-freedom groups have objected.