Members of the press corps have been caught stealing from Air Force One.
This is according to a new report from Politico's West Wing Playbook.
Apparently, the situation has gotten so out of control that the White House has had to issue a warning to members of the press corps, reminding them that they are not allowed to take stuff from Air Force One.
Politico reports, "Everyone, it appears, is pilfering from Air Force One."
Items that have allegedly been taken from Air Force One by members of the press corps are reported to include wine glasses, gold-rimmed plates, embroidered pillowcases, and tumblers.
"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," Politico reports.
Politico goes on to report that members of the press were recently told to stop the looting.
Per the outlet:
[I]t’s gotten so bad that, last month, NBC correspondent KELLY O’DONNELL, the president of the White House Correspondents’ Association, included a terse reminder to colleagues that taking items off the plane was not allowed and reflected poorly on the press corps as a whole, several individuals who saw the off-the-record email confirmed.
A message has even gone around asking reporters to return anything that they may have taken from Air Force One either "inadvertently" or "by mistake." Politico reports that some have complied by returning the items.
Politico, in its report, also suggests a reason why looting from Air Force One has been so rampant. According to the outlet, it all has to do with the type of people that usually make up the press corps.
"The rampant thievery makes sense when you remember that Washington is a town populated by a lot of ambitious, status-seeking dorks. Many people who fly with the president on Air Force One really want you to know they’ve flown on Air Force One," the outlet writes.
It adds, "And, sure, a picture that you tweet out may suffice. A tarmac photo of yourself beneath the hulking plane or a certificate from your first flight, which the Air Force will gladly produce and send you by mail, is fine, too. But what better way to convey your arrival in that stratosphere than with an actual keepsake?"
Politico concluded by revealing that the White House has been taking steps to put an end to the thievery.
These steps include keeping an inventory of all of the items on the plane.
