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- Department of Defense referred questions to the White House; TIME reached out for comment.
- Former agents said the planes were likely escorted by allies or the U.S. Air Force, denying those aboard were left exposed.
- The operation broke the White House pool tradition; past presidents Obama and Clinton also traveled secretly.
McDonald described the decision-making process around such operations as a joint effort among the Secret Service, the White House Military Office and White House staff, with “no one entity” holding more authority than the others.
The Department of Defense has referred questions from TIME to the White House. TIME has reached out to the White House for comment.
McDonald pushed back on the idea that Air Force One and the people still aboard it, including journalists, were left exposed. “I would find it incredibly hard to believe that those two planes weren’t escorted or with other assets from allies or the U.S. Air Force in the area,” he said, adding that he doubted the people on the aircraft “were dangled out there and left to fend for themselves.”
The operation broke a White House tradition that presidents rarely travel without a group of reporters known as the White House pool, to ensure the public has an independent account of the president’s activities. Former President Barack Obama broke the tradition in 2010 by leaving the White House to attend his daughter’s soccer game without telling reporters.
In 2000, President Bill Clinton secretly switched to an unmarked plane for a trip to Pakistan. At least one member of the White House pool, a reporter covering the trip for USA Today, was briefed on the operation beforehand, according to The Washington Post.
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