Susie Wiles Launches White House Search for Air Force One Leaker

A fast-moving leak investigation has rattled the White House after Chief of Staff Susie Wiles opened an internal probe aimed at identifying who revealed security concerns involving a Qatari-gifted aircraft slated to become the next Air Force One. According to sources familiar with the matter who spoke to CNN, the inquiry escalated quickly, with Wiles and FBI Director Kash Patel personally overseeing efforts that included demands for officials to surrender their personal phones while on White House property. The crackdown followed Trump’s anger over reports detailing vulnerabilities tied to the aircraft, prompting the administration to move swiftly. The sense of alarm has extended beyond the West Wing: at least one federal agency sent an urgent email advising employees that if outside agencies contacted them for information, they “needed to immediately contact their own agency’s attorneys,” a source told CNN. Patel, who had been scheduled to travel to Chicago, reportedly canceled that trip Friday and returned to the White House to help direct the questioning.

For nearly seven hours, Patel worked from an office next to Wiles, with the two creating what one source described as a West Wing “war room” to manage the leak hunt. The disclosures at the center of the investigation contributed to a New York Times report that preceded the Justice Department’s decision to subpoena four journalists who had reported on security issues surrounding the new aircraft. Investigators did not stop at phone requests. They also questioned staff members who traveled with Trump or helped coordinate the trip, drawing in officials from several government agencies.

The hard-charging approach has not gone unchallenged. One source told CNN that some officials asked to provide their devices did not comply. The aircraft, a luxury jet donated by Qatar to the Pentagon last year, has been controversial from the start. The roughly $400 million gift drew immediate scrutiny from critics who warned of possible national security risks, legal complications and ethics concerns. The White House has brushed aside those objections.

“Frankly, we couldn’t build a plane like this because we wouldn’t be willing to spend the kind of money necessary. They spent top dollars,” Trump said of Qatar. As the Justice Department pursues members of the press in connection with the matter, the Pentagon has moved to strengthen its own response to unauthorized disclosures. On Monday, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said the Pentagon and DOJ had created a joint task force focused on identifying and prosecuting leakers.

Hegseth said the Defense Department’s Office of General Counsel will have broad authority to request and obtain information across the Pentagon related to media leak investigations. “Leaked information risks lives. These new tools and processes will greatly assist us in protecting our joint force. The security of our nation cannot be a bargaining chip for those who seek momentary headlines,” Hegseth said in a video statement posted on X. “Access to confidential and secret information is a sacred trust, and those who betray that trust will be met with the full force of the law,” he added. The White House did not immediately respond to a Daily Mail request for comment.