A political adviser whose worked closely with President Donald Trump said he used his connections to government officials to charter a flight out of the Middle East — but denied allegations he received “special assistance.”
Alex Bruesewitz, 28, was among the thousands of American citizens in the Middle East over the weekend who were suddenly plunged into fear when the U.S. and Israel launched an airstrike campaign against Iran, shutting down the airspace and making it difficult to leave.
It’s unclear who Bruesewitz, who is credited as being the “architect” of the Trump campaign’s “podcast game plan,” contacted first, but he credited White House Deputy Chief of Staff James Blair, Qatari and Saudi officials, Republican Rep. Anna Paulina Luna and Ambassador to Greece Kimberly Guilfoyle with helping him and seven other Americans get to Greece en route to the U.S.
But when faced with allegations that the White House extracted him before other Americans, Bruesewitz said: “There was no ‘special assistance’ provided by the Trump administration…. I personally chartered the flight and orchestrated the plan.”
Unlike thousands of other citizens, Bruesewitz managed to leave the region before retaliatory fire expanded across the Middle East, shutting down airspace and leaving almost no commercial flights.
Although the State Department urged Americans to leave the region Monday via commercial flights, some of the largest airlines — including United, American, Delta, Emirates, Etihad, Qatar Airways, British Airways, Air France and Lufthansa — canceled services to the region.
By Wednesday, the State Department said they would organize free military aircraft and charter flights from the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Jordan for citizens looking to leave the Middle East.
When asked why the U.S. had not prepared evacuation plans, Trump told reporters: “It happened all very quickly.”
Bruesewitz did not describe in detail how the plan unfolded but he told Breitbart he had the opportunity to leave on his own shortly after the bombings began, yet chose to stay behind to help the other Americans escape.
“The past 72 hours have been utterly surreal, like nothing I’ve ever experienced before,” Bruesewitz wrote on X Monday in a lengthy post where he shared the story of evacuation.
Among those on the chartered flight were Sarah Gaither, a TikToker who shared her experience being stuck in Doha and Jay Footlik, a lobbyist for Qatar, who previously served as a special assistant in the Clinton administration.
The Independent has asked the White House, State Department, Bruesewitz and Luna’s office for comment.
Gaither told Breitbart she heard from Bruesewitz around 5 a.m. local time in Doha on Sunday. She said the political strategist had been “up all night piecing together a plan.”
The group boarded the private jet Bruesewitz paid for and traveled to Greece, Politico reported. They landed in Greece shortly after midnight Monday where Guilfoyle welcomed them.
“First, I’d like to extend my deepest gratitude to Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani and his administration for their exceptional assistance and unwavering commitment to my safety during my time in Doha. Their care was unparalleled, and I was truly impressed by the effectiveness of the Patriot missile interceptor system,” Bruesewitz wrote on X.
Luna expressed gratitude for the group’s safe return and encouraged other Americans stuck in the region to reach out to her office for help facilitating a trip home.
The State Department has also asked Americans who want to come home from the Middle East to enroll in the Smart Traveler Program (STEP) and keep up with communications on social media. Those in emergencies can call +1-202-501-444 if they are overseas or +1-888-407-4747 if they are in the U.S. or Canada.
