Trump reportedly shared US nuclear submarine secrets with loose-lipped Australian billionaire
Special counsel Jack Smith is aware of Trump's alleged disclosure to a foreigner who belonged to the Mar-a-Lago club


A few months after he left office, former President Donald Trump shared at least two sensitive, critical pieces of information about U.S. nuclear submarines with an Australian billionaire and Mar-a-Lago member, ABC News reported Thursday night, citing people familiar with the matter. The billionaire, cardboard magnate Anthony Pratt, then reportedly "described Trump's remarks to at least 45 others, including six journalists, 11 of his company's employees, 10 Australian officials and three former Australian prime ministers."
Trump's disclosures about the nautical leg of America's nuclear triad — the number of nuclear warheads the submarines routinely carry and exactly how close they can get to Russian subs without being detected — "potentially endangered the U.S. nuclear fleet," The New York Times reported, citing two sources who confirmed ABC News' scoop.
FBI agents and prosecutors working for special counsel Jack Smith's office interviewed Pratt at least twice this year, ABC News and the Times reported, though he is not mentioned in Smith's indictment of Trump for his retention and alleged mishandling of classified national security secrets.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Pratt is, however, "among more than 80 people whom prosecutors have identified as possible witnesses" to testify against Trump at his federal trial, the Times reported. Pratt's testimony that "Trump discussed some of the country's most sensitive nuclear secrets with him in a cavalier fashion could help prosecutors establish that the former president had a long habit of recklessly handling classified information."
A former Mar-a-Lago employee also told investigators he overheard Pratt relaying Trump's nuclear sub comments to someone else just minutes later, and was "bothered" and "shocked" Trump had shared such apparently sensitive information with a non-U.S. citizen, ABC News reported.
A Trump spokesperson said the "leaks" shared with ABC News lack "proper context and relevant information," adding that Trump "did nothing wrong" and "acted in a proper manner, according to the law."
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.
-
Road trip: New England’s maple syrup season
Feature New England is serving up maple syrup in delicious and unexpected ways
By The Week US Published
-
Music Reviews: Mdou Moctar, Panda Bear, and Tate McRae
Feature “Tears of Injustice,” “Sinister Grift,” and “So Close to What”
By The Week US Published
-
What's at stake in the Mahmoud Khalil deportation fight?
Talking Points Vague accusations and First Amendment concerns
By Joel Mathis, The Week US Published
-
Romania's election chaos risks international fallout
IN THE SPOTLIGHT By barring far-right candidate Calin Georgescu from the country's upcoming electoral re-do, Romania places itself in the center of a broader struggle over European ultra-nationalism
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Ukrainian election: who could replace Zelenskyy?
The Explainer Donald Trump's 'dictator' jibe raises pressure on Ukraine to the polls while the country is under martial law
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK Published
-
Why Serbian protesters set off smoke bombs in parliament
THE EXPLAINER Ongoing anti-corruption protests erupted into full view this week as Serbian protesters threw the country's legislature into chaos
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Why is Netanyahu pushing into the West Bank now?
TODAY'S BIG QUESTION Israeli tanks have entered some Palestinian cities for the first time in decades. What's behind this latest assault on the occupied territory, and where could it lead if left unchecked?
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Germany's conservatives win power amid far-right gains
Speed Read The party led by Friedrich Merz won the country's national election; the primary voter issues were the economy and immigration
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Ukraine's mineral riches and Trump's shakedown diplomacy
The Explainer President's demand for half of Kyiv's resources in return for past military aid amounts to 'mafia blackmail tactics' and 'colonialism'
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
Munich Security Conference: will spectre of appeasement haunt old world order?
Today's Big Question Trump's talks with Putin threaten the international rules-based order, say critics
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK Published
-
Russia frees US teacher Marc Fogel in murky 'exchange'
Speed Read He was detained in Moscow for carrying medically prescribed marijuana
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published