'Major tension' in White House as airspace botch triggers 'intense blame game': report

The surprise closure this week of the airspace over El Paso, Texas, has exposed a "strained relations" between two key departments in President Donald Trump's administration, according to a report.

The Federal Aviation Administration abruptly restricted all civilian aircraft Wednesday around Fort Bliss, which is immediately adjacent to El Paso International Airport, but reversed the order hours later. CNN's Pete Muntean reported on the conflicting statements coming from government officials.

"All of our reporting really underscores this breakdown in communication between every federal agency involved here," Muntean said. "What's clear from key government officials is that the FAA's decision to halt flights around El Paso caught parts of the Trump administration off guard, and now there's this intense blame game unfolding inside the White House. Remember, this all centers on a counter-drone system in use near the border. The technology uses what's called a high-energy laser, and that laser uses concentrated heat to disable drones."

Sources told the aviation correspondent that FAA officials were concerned about the system's deployment at Fort Bliss and its potential harm to civilian flights landing and departing there.

"Two senior administration officials tell CNN that the White House was furious with the FAA for shutting down the airspace, one top official telling us that FAA Administrator Brian Bedford decided to close the airspace without alerting the White House, Pentagon or Homeland Security officials," Muntean said.

"But other parts of the administration are pointing fingers in the other direction, questioning why Homeland Security and the Pentagon were using this laser without fully coordinating with the FAA. There's also pretty big disagreement about who knew what and who knew when. One source disputes that the White House was kept in the dark, saying that the National Security Council senior staff there and Homeland Security council senior staff were told in advance that a temporary flight restriction was coming."

"The bottom line here, I know it sounds like a mess," he added. "This really has sparked major tension inside the Trump administration about who bears responsibility for all this, who the catalyst was. None of the agencies involved here have responded to our request for comment.

"You also have to set this against the backdrop of really strained relations since last year's deadly midair collision over the Potomac River involving that commercial jet and an Army helicopter, and just yesterday, NTSB chair Jennifer Holliday told a Senate committee that the lack of coordination between the military and the FAA had been what she called, quote, 'astounding.'"

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