Reporters Reprimanded for Stealing From Air Force One

Apparently quite a few things have gone missing from Air Force One—enough that Kelly O'Donnell, NBC correspondent and president of the White House Correspondents' Association, recently issued a stern reminder to colleagues that they're not allowed to take items off the aircraft—and that if they do, it reflects badly on the entire press corps. Six people who saw the off-the-record email told Politico that it was sent after the Air Force crew that works on the plane took an inventory and informed the White House Travel Office in early February about items missing from the press cabin.

Politico says it's "shockingly common" for reporters to pilfer Air Force One-branded items, and one reporter who has what he calls a "subtle" collection of items from the plane shrugs it off to the BBC: "I didn't embarrass anyone or commit any wrongdoing to put this collection together." Among the things commonly stolen: glassware, plates, embroidered pillowcases, and blankets. Per the Guardian, actor Allison Williams once told David Letterman a story about impressing a guy by bringing him a napkin stolen off Air Force One by her dad, Brian Williams. Following O'Donnell's email, one person who had exited Air Force One with one of the aforementioned pillowcases made arrangements to "discreetly" return it. Sources say no one else replied to the email. (More Air Force One stories.)