Trump reportedly revealed classified information to Russian officials


President Trump revealed highly classified intelligence information to Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak in a meeting last week, The Washington Post reported Monday, citing current and former U.S. officials. The Post reported that Trump "went off script" in the meeting with Lavrov and Kislyak, "describing details about an Islamic State terrorist threat related to the use of laptop computers on aircraft":
Trump went on to discuss aspects of the threat that the United States only learned through the espionage capabilities of a key partner. He did not reveal the specific intelligence gathering method, but described how the Islamic State was pursuing elements of a specific plot and how much harm such an attack could cause under varying circumstances. Most alarmingly, officials said, Trump revealed the city in the Islamic State's territory where the U.S. intelligence partner detected the threat. [The Washington Post]
One official told the Post that Trump "revealed more information to the Russian ambassador than we have shared with our own allies," characterizing the material as "code-word information," which is one of the highest levels of classification used by American intelligence agencies. Another individual, a former U.S. official who is "close to current administration officials," said Trump "seems to be very reckless and doesn't grasp the gravity of the things he's dealing with." The newspaper said it was withholding details of what Trump revealed "at the urging of officials who warned that revealing them would jeopardize important intelligence capabilities."
National Security Adviser H.R. McMaster, who was present at the meeting, said the men "reviewed common threats from terrorist organizations to include threats to aviation. At no time were any intelligence sources or methods discussed and no military operations were disclosed that were not already known publicly." The CIA declined to comment to the Post, while the National Security Agency did not respond to comment requests.
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.
The Department of Homeland Security has reportedly been considering a ban on laptops or tablets in carry-on luggage on flights to the U.S. from Europe; such a ban is already in place for direct flights from 10 airports in eight Muslim-majority countries. Trump welcomed the Russians to the Oval Office just one day after firing FBI Director James Comey, which he told NBC News was spurred in part because of the FBI's investigation into his potential ties to Russian operatives. Read more at The Washington Post.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Kimberly Alters is the news editor at TheWeek.com. She is a graduate of the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University.
-
How is Chili's saving casual dining? Could others follow?
Today's Big Question Value and TikTok virality bring in the diners
-
NASA is abandoning the climate
The Explainer Climate missions could be going dark
-
Every MCU movie since 'Avengers: Endgame,' ranked
The Week Recommends How did the recent 'Fantastic Four: First Steps' stack up?
-
Court says labor board's structure unconstitutional
Speed Read The ruling has broad implications for labor rights enforcement in Texas, Louisiana and Mississippi
-
Feds seek harsh charges in DC arrests, except for rifles
Speed Read The DOJ said 465 arrests had been made in D.C. since Trump federalized law enforcement there two weeks ago
-
Trump taps Missouri AG to help lead FBI
Speed Read Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey has been appointed FBI co-deputy director, alongside Dan Bongino
-
Trump warms to Kyiv security deal in summit
Speed Read Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called Trump's support for guaranteeing his country's security 'a major step forward'
-
DC protests as Trump deployment ramps up
Speed Read Trump's 'crusade against crime' is targeting immigrants and the homeless
-
Ukraine, European leaders to meet Trump after Putin talks
Speed Read Trump meets with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy today following talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin last week
-
Border agents crash Newsom redistricting kickoff
Speed Read Armed federal Border Patrol agents amassed outside the venue where the California governor and other Democratic leaders were gathered
-
Man charged for hoagie attack as DC fights takeover
Speed Read The Trump administration filed felony charges against a man who threw a Subway sandwich at a federal agent