Senate Democrats Press Todd Blanche Over Times Subpoenas Before Thursday Vote

Q: What specific security threats regarding the Qatar-donated jet triggered such aggressive federal subpoenas in the first place?

The reporting that appears to have triggered the subpoenas centered on whether the Qatar-donated Boeing 747 being used as Air Force One lacked some of the hardened defensive and security capabilities built into the older presidential aircraft. Accounts cited concerns that the plane had been rushed into service after a relatively quick retrofit and may not have had the full suite of protections typically expected for presidential travel. Reported gaps or questioned features included advanced anti-missile and missile-detection systems, some defensive countermeasures, highly secure communications, protection against electromagnetic or nuclear effects, and the older Air Force One’s specialized midair-refueling capability. The immediate context was heightened tension with Iran after U.S. strikes. Officials said there was no publicly confirmed specific new plot against Trump tied to that flight, but security personnel were said to be more comfortable with him traveling on the older aircraft in a higher-risk international environment. Trump himself publicly mentioned that Iran could want to kill him, and reports said intelligence and broader threat concerns helped drive the decision to switch planes for part of the trip home from Turkey. So the issue was not one single identified defect, but a broader fear that the Qatari jet did not yet match the older Air Force One’s full defensive and survivability profile during a period of elevated external threat.

3 articles · Updated · The New York Times · Jul 28

A Senate Judiciary Committee letter demanded that Todd Blanche explain why prosecutors subpoenaed New York Times journalists’ phone records and grand jury testimony, and whether President Trump pushed for the move.
The subpoenas targeted reporters who wrote about security vulnerabilities in the Qatari jet Trump planned to use as Air Force One, a story Democrats said had enraged the president.
Democrats argued the Justice Department violated internal rules, concealed notice of the subpoenas and tried to intimidate journalists and their families.
Last week the department withdrew the subpoenas after a federal judge questioned whether prosecutors had followed the law and department regulations on investigations involving reporters.
The dispute lands days before Thursday’s committee vote on Blanche’s attorney general nomination, with Republicans able to lose no support and Senators John Cornyn and Thom Tillis still undecided.