The Washington Post reported late on Monday that President Trump revealed highly classified information to the Russians during their first official meeting at the Oval Office last week. The report based on “anonymous sources” and unverified has been vehemently denied by the three principal parties who were present at the meeting with the President.
Top Trump Administration officials and the White House pushed back on the scantly sourced report accusing the President of disclosing highly classified information about the Islamic State (ISIS) to the Russian diplomats, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Ambassador Sergey Kislyak during a meeting at the White House.
Secretary of State Rex Tillerson released a written statement refuting the allegations saying the President spoke with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov about the “nature of specific threats…but did not discuss sources, methods or military operations.”
“During President Trump’s meeting with Foreign Minister Lavrov, a broad range of subjects were discussed, among which were common efforts and threats regarding counter-terrorism. During that exchange, the nature of specific threats were discussed, but they did not discuss sources, methods, or military operations,” read Tillerson’s statement.
The report which cited “anonymous current and former U.S. government officials” said Trump on Monday disclosed highly classified information that jeopardized a critical source of intelligence on ISIS.
U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson (R) with his Russian counterpart, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in Washington last week. Credit: Getty Images
Deputy National Security Advisor, Dina Powell who is the other principal who was present during meeting said, “This story is false. The President only discussed the common threats that both countries faced.”
National Security Advisor General McMaster forcefully disputed the report and vehemently pushed back at the false allegations telling reporters gathered outside at the West Wing of the White House that the Washington Post report was a lie.
“There’s nothing that the president takes more seriously than the safety of the American people,” said General McMaster before appearing later to give a brief written statement to the reporters.
“The story that came out tonight is false,” he told reporters in a brief Press conference.
General H.R. McMaster speaking to the press refuting the Washington Post report on President Trump sharing highly sensitive classified information with the Russian diplomats during their first official meeting at the Oval Office last week. Credit: Getty Images
“The President and the Foreign Minister reviewed a range of common threats to our two countries, including threats to civil aviation. At no time — at no time — were intelligence sources or methods discussed.
“The President did not disclose any military operations that were not already publicly known,” McMaster continued.
“Two other senior officials who were present, including the Secretary of State, remember the meeting the same way and have said so. Their on-the-record accounts should outweigh those of anonymous sources.
“I was in the room, it didn’t happen,” McMaster said, before abruptly ending his statement and walked away without taking questions from reporters.
The allegation is that the classified information relayed by the President to the Russians which had been provided by a U.S. partner was considered so sensitive that details had been restricted within the US government and withheld from allies.
President Trump meets with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov (L) and Ambassador Sergey Kislyak (R) at the White House. Credit:
With the three principal parties who were present at the meeting with the President all disputing the allegations, the Washington Post report is not easy to verify because of all the unnamed “anonymous sources” who cannot be verified.
The Washington Post has been discredited more than thrice for publishing false stories on the President which it has never retracted. This latest false story has been vehemently disputed by the only 3 people who were present at the meeting with the President – National Security Advisor General McMaster and his Deputy, Dina Powell, and Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and Deputy.
The report is deliberately misleading the public by alleging the President may have committed an offense or done something illegal by sharing classified information. What is being left out is that the President of The United States has broad constitutional authority to declassify information unilaterally as he deems fit, something which protects him from being accused of doing anything illegal.
The timing of this report is deliberate and designed to further undermine and weaken the President before his first foreign trip abroad this week, a ploy by a media that is so out-of-touch with where the rest of the country is. The American people remain fully behind their President, a point of frustration for the media, Washington, Democrats and all those relentlessly fighting to take down Trump and his Presidency
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