Four sources informed West Wing Playbook that journalists in the White House press corps have been taking insignia items from Air Force One while covering President Joe Biden’s administration.
The thefts allegedly became so rampant during Biden’s term that the president of the White House Correspondents’ Association, NBC correspondent Kelly O’Donnell, sent out a brief reminder that stealing from Air Force One is prohibited. This was confirmed by multiple individuals who had access to the off-the-record email.
According to reports, none of the press corps members acknowledged or responded to O’Donnell’s email. Some of the items allegedly stolen include: Wine glasses, Tumblers, gold-rimmed plates, and embroidered pillowcases.
“For years, scores of journalists — and others — have quietly stuffed everything from engraved whiskey tumblers to wine glasses to pretty much anything with the Air Force One insignia on it into their bag before stepping off the plane,” Playbook reported:
“On my first flight, the person next to me was like, ‘You should take that glass,’” one current White House reporter told West Wing Playbook. “They were like: ‘Everyone does it.’” “When we raised the subject with current and former White House correspondents, stories spilled forth. There’s one about the senator in the front of the plane who — as a chatty aide told reporters — was taking everything not bolted down. Several colleagues of one former White House correspondent for a major newspaper described them hosting a dinner party where all the food was served on gold-rimmed Air Force One plates, evidently taken bit by bit over the course of some time. Reporters recalled coming down the back stairs after returning to Joint Base Andrews in the evening with the sounds of clinking glassware or porcelain plates in their backpacks.”
O’Donnell is facing mounting pressure to take action against the alleged thefts, as the reported looting has reached an alarming level. White House officials, who are familiar with the matter, informed Playbook that the crackdown is not intended to embarrass individual reporters but rather to convey a strong message that these thefts must come to an end.
In one documented incident, an email was sent out requesting reporters to promptly return any items that may have been unintentionally taken. It has been reported that one particular journalist, who received the email, was accused of stealing an intricately embroidered pillowcase. Allegedly, this individual admitted to the theft and arranged a time to return the item in Lafayette Square, just outside the White House. Upon returning the pillowcase to a White House press wrangler, the exchange took place smoothly, and the matter was resolved.
The reported looting of Air Force One not only reflects poorly on the press corps but also exacerbates the existing lack of trust in the establishment media. According to a Gallup poll released in 2023, confidence in the media’s ability to accurately report news in a comprehensive, impartial, and precise manner has plummeted to its lowest level since the record low of 2016.