Update, 5:40 p.m.: Here’s more information from the Times on what occurred on board the chartered plane, according to the Times reporter, who was there with their reporter:
The pilot informed us that the U.S. State Department was barring all passengers not from individuals like House Speaker Paul Ryan and President Trump, but rather an undefined number of people who had worked on the Russian campaign in 2016, and had been subjected to several years of investigation.
Mr. Ryan and Mr. Trump also happen to be the vice president and president of the United States, respectively.
The pilot also informed us that State had been angered that the Russian consulate in New York had posted many public statements and tweets meant to cast doubt on the veracity of the Dutch-based team they were leaving to investigate the Russian involvement in the 2016 campaign.
As tensions escalated, the pilot requested permission to return to Washington, claiming he was subjected to constant abuse by the Dutch. The last straw, he said, was when Dutch intelligence intercepted an American missile launch in Georgia, and he was personally heard on the radio from the station where the missile launch occurred. (We cannot independently confirm that this is true.)