Journalist Chris Edwards New Mexico Conservative News

A fake conspiracy viral post claiming the “Deep State” tried to sabotage Air Force One on July 9th — and that Military Intelligence has secretly issued treason subpoenas against New York Times reporters — has been spreading across social media this week. It’s not true.

Here’s what the record actually shows.

The Claim

The story alleges that hackers working out of a “Langley server farm” compromised the avionics of the new Qatari-donated Boeing 747-8, that President Trump switched planes at the last second to dodge an assassination attempt, and that NYT journalists have been secretly subpoenaed as “co-conspirators” in a plot to kill him.
None of this appears in any credible reporting, and there is no public evidence — no court filing, no official statement, no independent confirmation — for any of it.

What Actually Happened

Trump did switch planes leaving Turkey, flying out of Ankara on the older Air Force One rather than the newer Qatari-gifted jet. But the explanation given by multiple administration and military officials was far less dramatic than a foiled sabotage plot.
Four U.S. officials told reporters the decision was driven at least in part by general security caution tied to the escalating conflict with Iran — not a specific, discovered threat. Security personnel simply felt more comfortable putting the president on the older, purpose-built plane. That older aircraft, built from scratch near the end of the Cold War, comes hardened with anti-missile countermeasures, an onboard operating room, and air-to-air refueling capability that the newly retrofitted Qatari jet may not fully match.
Officials have described the Qatari plane as a “bridge” aircraft — rushed into service in about a year and a half, compared to the new custom-built 747-8s that are still years from completion. That’s an important, legitimate story on its own: lawmakers from both parties have raised questions for months about the cost and pace of the Qatari jet’s retrofit, estimated by some at nearly $1 billion. But “under-scrutinized security shortcuts on a gifted plane” is a very different story than “the CIA hacked the avionics to kill the president.”
Trump himself offered shifting, casual explanations for the switch — saying at different points it was “for old time’s sake” and that troops wanted to tour the new jet — not language consistent with describing a thwarted assassination attempt.

Why the “Sabotage” Version Doesn’t Hold Up

• No sourcing. Real reporting on this story cites named officials and on-record statements. The “sabotage” version cites none — just vague references to “Military Intelligence” and unnamed intercepts.
• No court record. Subpoenas, especially ones tied to alleged treason, are matters of public record or at minimum get confirmed by multiple outlets. There is no such confirmation here.
• A mundane story already existed. Genuine, well-documented concerns about the Qatari jet’s retrofit speed and cost gave this story fertile ground to mutate into something far more sensational.
• The pattern is familiar. Coded operation names, claims that journalists are secretly criminal suspects, and a routine security decision recast as a hidden victory over unnamed enemies are hallmarks of manufactured conspiracy content, not investigative journalism.

The Bottom Line

Something newsworthy did happen: a president flying into a live regional conflict zone made a reasonable, if underexplained, security decision about which aircraft to use. That’s worth covering honestly. Dressing it up as a foiled Deep State assassination plot with secret treason charges against reporters isn’t a bolder version of the truth — it’s a different story altogether, and one with no evidence behind it.

Readers who care about holding institutions accountable are better served by asking real questions — like why a billion-dollar retrofit may still fall short of Air Force One’s security standards — than by amplifying claims that don’t survive basic fact-checking.