A new report contradicts public statements from the White House, suggesting an Iranian assassination threat against President Trump forced him to leave Air Force One and change to a military aircraft last month as he was leaving a NATO summit in Ankara, Turkey.
The Washington Post reports this was a clandestine mission not previously known to reporters and some White House staff. NPR has not independently confirmed the report.
"There has to be a congressional briefing because it involves not just the safety of the president," said Democratic Sen. Richard Blumenthal, speaking on CNN.
"I want to know what precautions were taken to make sure that all of the passengers on that Air Force One, which was judged too dangerous for the president to fly on, what precautions were taken to keep the staff and reporters on that plane safe?"
Sen. Blumenthal called this matter "unprecedented" and "surreal," and added that the U.S.-Israeli war against Iran has made the world less safe.
An NPR editor adapted this audio report by Doualy Xaykaothao.
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