Air Force One leaker was 'highly placed,' Clinton nuclear bag man suspects

Key Points:

• Retired Lt. Col. Robert "Buzz" Patterson, who carried the nuclear football for President Clinton, praised the recent Air Force One deception used to protect President Trump in Ankara as a longstanding and effective security tactic involving decoys and aircraft swaps.
• Patterson expressed serious concern over the public disclosure of sensitive operational details, warning that leaks from insiders could endanger presidents, military personnel, and the White House press corps for years by compromising national security protocols.
• The decoy Air Force One carrying officials and press was escorted by U.S. fighter jets during its flight to the UK, a standard protective measure in high-threat environments, according to Patterson and a senior Trump administration official.
• Patterson revealed that similar covert tactics, including the use of catering trucks for discreet presidential movements, date back to Clinton's administration, emphasizing that such secrecy is critical for protecting the presidency and ensuring continuity regardless of the individual president.
• He cautioned that exposing these security procedures risks making future presidential travel to war zones or surprise visits impossible, potentially forcing a costly overhaul of U.S. security protocols and putting the presidency and its personnel in grave danger.