Senior Trump administration officials are investigating how New York Times reporters Maggie Haberman and Jonathan Swan obtained detailed accounts of classified Situation Room meetings for their forthcoming book, with some aides suspecting unauthorized audio recordings.
The book, Regime Change: Inside the Imperial Presidency of Donald Trump, is scheduled for publication by Simon & Schuster on June 23.
Excerpts published by the Times include verbatim dialogue from high-level discussions on the Iran conflict and the handling of Jeffrey Epstein-related files.
Security Concerns in the Situation Room
The Situation Room, located in the White House basement, is a highly secure facility used for sensitive national security briefings. Independent recording devices are prohibited there.
Administration sources told Axios that officials fear some of the most sensitive conversations were captured without authorization.
“We’re afraid some of our most sensitive conversations were being recorded,” one administration source said. “And we have no idea which ones.” President Trump is reportedly furious over the revelations.
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In one excerpt detailing a February 2025 meeting, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu presented scenarios for action against Iran, including potential regime change.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio dismissed certain proposals, according to the reporting: “In other words, it’s bullshit.”
Another set of excerpts describes multiple Situation Room meetings in July 2025, held without President Trump present, as top aides, including Vice President JD Vance and Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, managed the fallout from the administration’s handling of the Epstein files.
The sessions involved debates over transparency, public relations strategies, and internal clashes.
Vance reportedly floated enlisting Tucker Carlson to interview Ghislaine Maxwell in prison to help clear Trump’s name regarding Epstein ties. Then-Deputy FBI Director Dan Bongino warned that the episode could become “President Trump’s Iran-Contra.”
Extensive Sourcing or Recordings?
Haberman and Swan did not respond to requests for comment on the reporting methods. The Times excerpts and Axios reporting do not confirm the existence of recordings.
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The reporters conducted more than 1,000 interviews for the book with campaign officials, White House staff, agency officials, former aides, and others, including an interview with Trump himself.
Veteran journalists have long reconstructed dialogue from participant recollections. Bob Woodward’s books, for example, rely heavily on such accounts rather than secret tapes. White House officials have not publicly disputed the accuracy of the quoted material.
Still, the level of detail has triggered what sources describe as a “massive leak hunt” inside the administration.
Book Sets Stage for Second Term Scrutiny
Regime Change examines the first year of Trump’s second term, covering military decisions, Justice Department actions, border policies, and internal power dynamics.
The authors, both longtime Trump chroniclers at the Times, describe a presidency operating with fewer constraints than the first term.
The pre-publication excerpts have already generated significant attention. The Epstein files reporting, published in the New York Times Magazine, detailed internal panic and strategic missteps as the administration faced public pressure over document releases.
Trump has publicly criticized media coverage tied to the excerpts.
