Now Reading: Clinton used decoy plane for Pakistan visit, reporter reveals
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Clinton used decoy plane for Pakistan visit, reporter reveals
White House reporter Susan Page revealed that the Clinton administration used a decoy aircraft during President Bill Clinton’s high-risk 2000 visit to Pakistan. Page, then chief of the White House Correspondents’ Association,…
The Story in Brief
White House reporter Susan Page revealed that the Clinton administration used a decoy aircraft during President Bill Clinton’s high-risk 2000 visit to Pakistan. Page, then chief of the White House Correspondents’ Association, was briefed off-the-record by officials who told her about the extraordinary security measures, including the decoy plane, due to dangers to the president and journalists. The deception became obvious when Clinton disembarked from an unmarked plane after a decoy with Air Force One markings landed first.
The disclosure follows a Washington Post report that President Donald Trump secretly switched aircraft during a departure from Turkey last month after a credible Iranian threat, without informing journalists. Trump’s White House defended the security measures, with communications director Steven Cheung citing persistent threats. Page said she decided to break her 26-year silence because enough time has passed and the ruse was already evident.
The Indian Opinion
The Clinton and Trump anecdotes offer a revealing contrast in transparency, not security. Clinton’s team briefed the press pool off the record, trusting them to keep the secret until it was safe. Trump’s operation left journalists in the dark with shades down. An ordinary Indian reader might ask: which approach builds public trust in democratic institutions? The real test will be whether future administrations inform the press pool or treat them as props.
Source: rediff.com
This story was synthesised by AI from the source linked above.
