Trump's disclosure endangered spy placed inside ISIS by Israel, officials say
By BRIAN ROSS, JAMES GORDON MEEK and RANDY KREIDERMay 16, 2017, 6:44 PM ET
WATCH: The White House denied a Washington Post report that Trump shared classified intelligence information in a recent meeting with members of the Russian government.
The life of a spy placed by Israel inside ISIS is at risk tonight, according to current and former U.S. officials, after President Donald Trump reportedly disclosed classified information in a meeting with Russian officials last week.
The spy provided intelligence involving an active ISIS plot to bring down a passenger jet en route to the United States, with a bomb hidden in a laptop that U.S. officials believe can get through airport screening machines undetected. The information was reliable enough that the U.S. is considering a ban on laptops on all flights from Europe to the United States.
The sensitive intelligence was shared with the United States, officials say, on the condition that the source remain confidential.
“The real risk is not just this source,” said Matt Olsen, the former Director of the National Counterterrorism Center and an ABC News contributor, “but future sources of information about plots against us.”
ISIS has already taken credit for blowing up a Russian airliner two years ago, killing more than 200 people, claiming the bomb was hidden in a soft drink can. The White House National Security Adviser says that justifies President Trump’s disclosures to the Russians.
“And so this was the context of the conversation in which it was wholly appropriate to share what the threat was as a basis for common action and coordination,” said General H.R. McMasters on Tuesday.
When pressed by ABC News' Jonathan Karl, McMaster would not say if Trump disclosed classified information. Trump said in a pair of tweets Tuesday he had the "absolute right" to share "facts" with the Russians.
But many in the counter-terrorism community say what the President did was a mistake.
“Russia is not part of the ISIS coalition,” Olsen said. “They are not our partner.”
Dan Shapiro, the former U.S. ambassador to Israel, now a senior visiting fellow at the Institute for National Security Studies in Tel Aviv, agreed.
In an interview with ABC News, he called the president and his team “careless,” saying that the reported disclosures demonstrate a “poor understanding of how to guard sensitive information."
Shapiro was most concerned, however, that the president’s move could make Israel think twice about sharing intelligence with the United States, warning that it will “inevitably cause elements of Israel's intelligence service to demonstrate more caution.”
The reaction in Congress appeared to diverge along partisan lines. Asked if he had concerns about the president’s handling of classified information, the Republican Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell let out a small laugh and before replying simply, "No."
But Democrats disagree. Shortly after McConnell's comments, Democratic Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer reiterated his call for the White House to release full, unedited transcripts of Trump's meeting with the Russian officials.
"This is not normal behavior. This is not how a White House should operate," Schumer said. "Firing an FBI director who is investigating the president’s campaign, disclosing classified information to a country that wishes us harm and just finished undermining the integrity of our elections. We need our Republican colleagues to join us in standing up, to put country over party."
ABC News’ Arlette Saenz, Jordana Miller and Meghan Kenneally contributed to this report.
By BRIAN ROSS, JAMES GORDON MEEK and RANDY KREIDERMay 16, 2017, 6:44 PM ET
WATCH: The White House denied a Washington Post report that Trump shared classified intelligence information in a recent meeting with members of the Russian government.
The life of a spy placed by Israel inside ISIS is at risk tonight, according to current and former U.S. officials, after President Donald Trump reportedly disclosed classified information in a meeting with Russian officials last week.
The spy provided intelligence involving an active ISIS plot to bring down a passenger jet en route to the United States, with a bomb hidden in a laptop that U.S. officials believe can get through airport screening machines undetected. The information was reliable enough that the U.S. is considering a ban on laptops on all flights from Europe to the United States.
The sensitive intelligence was shared with the United States, officials say, on the condition that the source remain confidential.
“The real risk is not just this source,” said Matt Olsen, the former Director of the National Counterterrorism Center and an ABC News contributor, “but future sources of information about plots against us.”
ISIS has already taken credit for blowing up a Russian airliner two years ago, killing more than 200 people, claiming the bomb was hidden in a soft drink can. The White House National Security Adviser says that justifies President Trump’s disclosures to the Russians.
“And so this was the context of the conversation in which it was wholly appropriate to share what the threat was as a basis for common action and coordination,” said General H.R. McMasters on Tuesday.
When pressed by ABC News' Jonathan Karl, McMaster would not say if Trump disclosed classified information. Trump said in a pair of tweets Tuesday he had the "absolute right" to share "facts" with the Russians.
But many in the counter-terrorism community say what the President did was a mistake.
“Russia is not part of the ISIS coalition,” Olsen said. “They are not our partner.”
Dan Shapiro, the former U.S. ambassador to Israel, now a senior visiting fellow at the Institute for National Security Studies in Tel Aviv, agreed.
In an interview with ABC News, he called the president and his team “careless,” saying that the reported disclosures demonstrate a “poor understanding of how to guard sensitive information."
Shapiro was most concerned, however, that the president’s move could make Israel think twice about sharing intelligence with the United States, warning that it will “inevitably cause elements of Israel's intelligence service to demonstrate more caution.”
The reaction in Congress appeared to diverge along partisan lines. Asked if he had concerns about the president’s handling of classified information, the Republican Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell let out a small laugh and before replying simply, "No."
But Democrats disagree. Shortly after McConnell's comments, Democratic Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer reiterated his call for the White House to release full, unedited transcripts of Trump's meeting with the Russian officials.
"This is not normal behavior. This is not how a White House should operate," Schumer said. "Firing an FBI director who is investigating the president’s campaign, disclosing classified information to a country that wishes us harm and just finished undermining the integrity of our elections. We need our Republican colleagues to join us in standing up, to put country over party."
ABC News’ Arlette Saenz, Jordana Miller and Meghan Kenneally contributed to this report.
Matt Drudge Calls Out The Washington Compost
Associate Editor
8
The Washington Post newsroom broke out into applause when their story on Trump allegedly sharing classified information in a meeting with Russian ambassadors broke a company record.
As the clicks were rolling in, Glenn Kessler, the Post’s fact-checker, tweeted: “Applause in the newsroom as the Russia-leak scoop breaks the Hollywood Access record for most readers per minute.”
Los Angeles Times reporter Matt Pearce described the applause as “weird, given the circumstances.”
Conservative news giant Matt Drudge also took issue on Twitter with the Post’s celebration of clicks
“WASHPOST Newsroom staff openly applauding at latest Trump hit finally clarifies how this has turned into nothing but a bloodsport!” wrote Drudge, who runs the influential Drudge Report.
He followed up with a second tweet, linking to a Politico story that noted then-President Obama being greeted with applause during a visit to the Post’s building in 2009. (The Post denied that those applauding were reporters.)
“WASHPOST Newsroom staff openly applauded when Obama visited ’09,” Drudge wrote in the second tweet. “It was bloodsport then, just played on same team!”
Drudge suggested that the Post’s targeting of Trump is motivated by their owner, Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos, who Trump has said has a “huge anti-trust problem.”
“He thinks I’ll go after him for antitrust,” Trump told Fox News’ Sean Hannity last year. “Because he’s got a huge antitrust problem because he’s controlling so much, Amazon is controlling so much of what they are doing.”
“He’s using the Washington Post, which is peanuts, he’s using that for political purposes to save Amazon in terms of taxes and in terms of antitrust,” Trump claimed.
Drudge, an early promoter of Trump’s presidential campaign, appears to agree with that accusation. He wrote: “WASHPOST owner personally motivated in bloodsport after Trump threat of AMAZON monopoly breakup. Follow the clicks!”
Associate Editor
1:19 PM 05/16/2017
8
The Washington Post newsroom broke out into applause when their story on Trump allegedly sharing classified information in a meeting with Russian ambassadors broke a company record.
As the clicks were rolling in, Glenn Kessler, the Post’s fact-checker, tweeted: “Applause in the newsroom as the Russia-leak scoop breaks the Hollywood Access record for most readers per minute.”
Los Angeles Times reporter Matt Pearce described the applause as “weird, given the circumstances.”
Conservative news giant Matt Drudge also took issue on Twitter with the Post’s celebration of clicks
“WASHPOST Newsroom staff openly applauding at latest Trump hit finally clarifies how this has turned into nothing but a bloodsport!” wrote Drudge, who runs the influential Drudge Report.
He followed up with a second tweet, linking to a Politico story that noted then-President Obama being greeted with applause during a visit to the Post’s building in 2009. (The Post denied that those applauding were reporters.)
“WASHPOST Newsroom staff openly applauded when Obama visited ’09,” Drudge wrote in the second tweet. “It was bloodsport then, just played on same team!”
Drudge suggested that the Post’s targeting of Trump is motivated by their owner, Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos, who Trump has said has a “huge anti-trust problem.”
“He thinks I’ll go after him for antitrust,” Trump told Fox News’ Sean Hannity last year. “Because he’s got a huge antitrust problem because he’s controlling so much, Amazon is controlling so much of what they are doing.”
“He’s using the Washington Post, which is peanuts, he’s using that for political purposes to save Amazon in terms of taxes and in terms of antitrust,” Trump claimed.
Drudge, an early promoter of Trump’s presidential campaign, appears to agree with that accusation. He wrote: “WASHPOST owner personally motivated in bloodsport after Trump threat of AMAZON monopoly breakup. Follow the clicks!”
Trump's disclosure endangered spy placed inside ISIS by Israel, officials say
By BRIAN ROSS, JAMES GORDON MEEK and RANDY KREIDERMay 16, 2017, 6:44 PM ET
WATCH: The White House denied a Washington Post report that Trump shared classified intelligence information in a recent meeting with members of the Russian government.
The life of a spy placed by Israel inside ISIS is at risk tonight, according to current and former U.S. officials, after President Donald Trump reportedly disclosed classified information in a meeting with Russian officials last week.
The spy provided intelligence involving an active ISIS plot to bring down a passenger jet en route to the United States, with a bomb hidden in a laptop that U.S. officials believe can get through airport screening machines undetected. The information was reliable enough that the U.S. is considering a ban on laptops on all flights from Europe to the United States.
The sensitive intelligence was shared with the United States, officials say, on the condition that the source remain confidential.
“The real risk is not just this source,” said Matt Olsen, the former Director of the National Counterterrorism Center and an ABC News contributor, “but future sources of information about plots against us.”
ISIS has already taken credit for blowing up a Russian airliner two years ago, killing more than 200 people, claiming the bomb was hidden in a soft drink can. The White House National Security Adviser says that justifies President Trump’s disclosures to the Russians.
“And so this was the context of the conversation in which it was wholly appropriate to share what the threat was as a basis for common action and coordination,” said General H.R. McMasters on Tuesday.
When pressed by ABC News' Jonathan Karl, McMaster would not say if Trump disclosed classified information. Trump said in a pair of tweets Tuesday he had the "absolute right" to share "facts" with the Russians.
But many in the counter-terrorism community say what the President did was a mistake.
“Russia is not part of the ISIS coalition,” Olsen said. “They are not our partner.”
Dan Shapiro, the former U.S. ambassador to Israel, now a senior visiting fellow at the Institute for National Security Studies in Tel Aviv, agreed.
In an interview with ABC News, he called the president and his team “careless,” saying that the reported disclosures demonstrate a “poor understanding of how to guard sensitive information."
Shapiro was most concerned, however, that the president’s move could make Israel think twice about sharing intelligence with the United States, warning that it will “inevitably cause elements of Israel's intelligence service to demonstrate more caution.”
The reaction in Congress appeared to diverge along partisan lines. Asked if he had concerns about the president’s handling of classified information, the Republican Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell let out a small laugh and before replying simply, "No."
But Democrats disagree. Shortly after McConnell's comments, Democratic Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer reiterated his call for the White House to release full, unedited transcripts of Trump's meeting with the Russian officials.
"This is not normal behavior. This is not how a White House should operate," Schumer said. "Firing an FBI director who is investigating the president’s campaign, disclosing classified information to a country that wishes us harm and just finished undermining the integrity of our elections. We need our Republican colleagues to join us in standing up, to put country over party."
ABC News’ Arlette Saenz, Jordana Miller and Meghan Kenneally contributed to this report.
[FONT="]MR. SPICER: I think it’s safe to say that the President is going to look to anybody who wants to share our goal of eradicating radical Islamic terrorism, ISIL, and other threats from around the globe[/FONT]
Trump's disclosure endangered spy placed inside ISIS by Israel, officials say
By BRIAN ROSS, JAMES GORDON MEEK and RANDY KREIDERMay 16, 2017, 6:44 PM ET
WATCH: The White House denied a Washington Post report that Trump shared classified intelligence information in a recent meeting with members of the Russian government.
The life of a spy placed by Israel inside ISIS is at risk tonight, according to current and former U.S. officials, after President Donald Trump reportedly disclosed classified information in a meeting with Russian officials last week.
The spy provided intelligence involving an active ISIS plot to bring down a passenger jet en route to the United States, with a bomb hidden in a laptop that U.S. officials believe can get through airport screening machines undetected. The information was reliable enough that the U.S. is considering a ban on laptops on all flights from Europe to the United States.
The sensitive intelligence was shared with the United States, officials say, on the condition that the source remain confidential.
“The real risk is not just this source,” said Matt Olsen, the former Director of the National Counterterrorism Center and an ABC News contributor, “but future sources of information about plots against us.”
ISIS has already taken credit for blowing up a Russian airliner two years ago, killing more than 200 people, claiming the bomb was hidden in a soft drink can. The White House National Security Adviser says that justifies President Trump’s disclosures to the Russians.
“And so this was the context of the conversation in which it was wholly appropriate to share what the threat was as a basis for common action and coordination,” said General H.R. McMasters on Tuesday.
When pressed by ABC News' Jonathan Karl, McMaster would not say if Trump disclosed classified information. Trump said in a pair of tweets Tuesday he had the "absolute right" to share "facts" with the Russians.
But many in the counter-terrorism community say what the President did was a mistake.
“Russia is not part of the ISIS coalition,” Olsen said. “They are not our partner.”
Dan Shapiro, the former U.S. ambassador to Israel, now a senior visiting fellow at the Institute for National Security Studies in Tel Aviv, agreed.
In an interview with ABC News, he called the president and his team “careless,” saying that the reported disclosures demonstrate a “poor understanding of how to guard sensitive information."
Shapiro was most concerned, however, that the president’s move could make Israel think twice about sharing intelligence with the United States, warning that it will “inevitably cause elements of Israel's intelligence service to demonstrate more caution.”
The reaction in Congress appeared to diverge along partisan lines. Asked if he had concerns about the president’s handling of classified information, the Republican Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell let out a small laugh and before replying simply, "No."
But Democrats disagree. Shortly after McConnell's comments, Democratic Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer reiterated his call for the White House to release full, unedited transcripts of Trump's meeting with the Russian officials.
"This is not normal behavior. This is not how a White House should operate," Schumer said. "Firing an FBI director who is investigating the president’s campaign, disclosing classified information to a country that wishes us harm and just finished undermining the integrity of our elections. We need our Republican colleagues to join us in standing up, to put country over party."
ABC News’ Arlette Saenz, Jordana Miller and Meghan Kenneally contributed to this report.
[FONT="]MR. SPICER: Well, number one, to make any assumptions about what was shared, what wasn’t shared, and what processes were or were not followed would be highly speculative.[/FONT]
[FONT="]Number two, as I’ve said repeatedly, the information that was shared was on a common threat and one that we both have a shared goal in eradicating. So to suggest that -- which I think is the nut of the question -- why wouldn’t we want to share a common threat and the efforts that both countries are taking to eradicate a threat that we both feel?
[/FONT]
[FONT="]MR. SPICER: Hold on, with all due respect, you have no understanding of that. For you -- and I’m not -- but to sit back and say, because it hasn’t been leaked out -- I mean, that’s the nature of the leak. Somebody is selectively leaking information and facts. And there’s a reason it’s selective; it’s because they’re trying to create -- you know, and again, for me to guess why -- but at least it appears as though somebody is trying to create a narrative or a problem.[/FONT]
[FONT="]But to further suggest that somehow because you get one piece of a puzzle, that you know what the entire puzzle looks like -- even to suggest that that piece is accurate, which, in this case, you’ve heard our position on that. But this is clearly a pattern of people releasing sensitive information to further what appears to be someone’s agenda.[/FONT]
[FONT="]And I think that, again, the President has raised this. Several people in the administration have raised this. But the idea that there is no concern or seemingly no concern over something like this being put out in the open I think is, frankly, concerning. And it should be to every American that we have information of a sensitive and classified nature that is being sent out into the open.[/FONT]
Trump's disclosure endangered spy placed inside ISIS by Israel, officials say
By BRIAN ROSS, JAMES GORDON MEEK and RANDY KREIDERMay 16, 2017, 6:44 PM ET
WATCH: The White House denied a Washington Post report that Trump shared classified intelligence information in a recent meeting with members of the Russian government.
The life of a spy placed by Israel inside ISIS is at risk tonight, according to current and former U.S. officials, after President Donald Trump reportedly disclosed classified information in a meeting with Russian officials last week.
The spy provided intelligence involving an active ISIS plot to bring down a passenger jet en route to the United States, with a bomb hidden in a laptop that U.S. officials believe can get through airport screening machines undetected. The information was reliable enough that the U.S. is considering a ban on laptops on all flights from Europe to the United States.
The sensitive intelligence was shared with the United States, officials say, on the condition that the source remain confidential.
“The real risk is not just this source,” said Matt Olsen, the former Director of the National Counterterrorism Center and an ABC News contributor, “but future sources of information about plots against us.”
ISIS has already taken credit for blowing up a Russian airliner two years ago, killing more than 200 people, claiming the bomb was hidden in a soft drink can. The White House National Security Adviser says that justifies President Trump’s disclosures to the Russians.
“And so this was the context of the conversation in which it was wholly appropriate to share what the threat was as a basis for common action and coordination,” said General H.R. McMasters on Tuesday.
When pressed by ABC News' Jonathan Karl, McMaster would not say if Trump disclosed classified information. Trump said in a pair of tweets Tuesday he had the "absolute right" to share "facts" with the Russians.
But many in the counter-terrorism community say what the President did was a mistake.
“Russia is not part of the ISIS coalition,” Olsen said. “They are not our partner.”
Dan Shapiro, the former U.S. ambassador to Israel, now a senior visiting fellow at the Institute for National Security Studies in Tel Aviv, agreed.
In an interview with ABC News, he called the president and his team “careless,” saying that the reported disclosures demonstrate a “poor understanding of how to guard sensitive information."
Shapiro was most concerned, however, that the president’s move could make Israel think twice about sharing intelligence with the United States, warning that it will “inevitably cause elements of Israel's intelligence service to demonstrate more caution.”
The reaction in Congress appeared to diverge along partisan lines. Asked if he had concerns about the president’s handling of classified information, the Republican Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell let out a small laugh and before replying simply, "No."
But Democrats disagree. Shortly after McConnell's comments, Democratic Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer reiterated his call for the White House to release full, unedited transcripts of Trump's meeting with the Russian officials.
"This is not normal behavior. This is not how a White House should operate," Schumer said. "Firing an FBI director who is investigating the president’s campaign, disclosing classified information to a country that wishes us harm and just finished undermining the integrity of our elections. We need our Republican colleagues to join us in standing up, to put country over party."
ABC News’ Arlette Saenz, Jordana Miller and Meghan Kenneally contributed to this report.
[FONT="]MR. SPICER: Well, I think to presume that -- I mean, that conversation is still private. And to just assume what was and wasn’t discussed would not be accurate. I’m not going to get into the contents of that.
[/FONT][FONT="]MR. SPICER: Well, number one, to make any assumptions about what was shared, what wasn’t shared, and what processes were or were not followed would be highly speculative.[/FONT]
[FONT="]Number two, as I’ve said repeatedly, the information that was shared was on a common threat and one that we both have a shared goal in eradicating. So to suggest that -- which I think is the nut of the question -- why wouldn’t we want to share a common threat and the efforts that both countries are taking to eradicate a threat that we both feel?[/FONT]
[FONT="]
[/FONT]
Much like Nixon attempted to save himself in late 1973 and early 1974 by pretty much firing everyone even remotely connected to his own crimes, u likely are correct that McMasters will join other current insiders on the WH scrap heap within the next 30 days or less.
It's right on the precipice of donnie firing everyone except Ivanka and a couple of 25 year old fluffs recruited from FOXNEWS
Insiders reporting today that donnie is literally at war with the entire comm staff. He wants only one message, "I can do whatever I want!!" and they are doing their damndest to let him know that cannot fly in 21st century USA
Trump's disclosure endangered spy placed inside ISIS by Israel, officials say
By BRIAN ROSS, JAMES GORDON MEEK and RANDY KREIDERMay 16, 2017, 6:44 PM ET
WATCH: The White House denied a Washington Post report that Trump shared classified intelligence information in a recent meeting with members of the Russian government.
The life of a spy placed by Israel inside ISIS is at risk tonight, according to current and former U.S. officials, after President Donald Trump reportedly disclosed classified information in a meeting with Russian officials last week.
The spy provided intelligence involving an active ISIS plot to bring down a passenger jet en route to the United States, with a bomb hidden in a laptop that U.S. officials believe can get through airport screening machines undetected. The information was reliable enough that the U.S. is considering a ban on laptops on all flights from Europe to the United States.
The sensitive intelligence was shared with the United States, officials say, on the condition that the source remain confidential.
“The real risk is not just this source,” said Matt Olsen, the former Director of the National Counterterrorism Center and an ABC News contributor, “but future sources of information about plots against us.”
ISIS has already taken credit for blowing up a Russian airliner two years ago, killing more than 200 people, claiming the bomb was hidden in a soft drink can. The White House National Security Adviser says that justifies President Trump’s disclosures to the Russians.
“And so this was the context of the conversation in which it was wholly appropriate to share what the threat was as a basis for common action and coordination,” said General H.R. McMasters on Tuesday.
When pressed by ABC News' Jonathan Karl, McMaster would not say if Trump disclosed classified information. Trump said in a pair of tweets Tuesday he had the "absolute right" to share "facts" with the Russians.
But many in the counter-terrorism community say what the President did was a mistake.
“Russia is not part of the ISIS coalition,” Olsen said. “They are not our partner.”
Dan Shapiro, the former U.S. ambassador to Israel, now a senior visiting fellow at the Institute for National Security Studies in Tel Aviv, agreed.
In an interview with ABC News, he called the president and his team “careless,” saying that the reported disclosures demonstrate a “poor understanding of how to guard sensitive information."
Shapiro was most concerned, however, that the president’s move could make Israel think twice about sharing intelligence with the United States, warning that it will “inevitably cause elements of Israel's intelligence service to demonstrate more caution.”
The reaction in Congress appeared to diverge along partisan lines. Asked if he had concerns about the president’s handling of classified information, the Republican Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell let out a small laugh and before replying simply, "No."
But Democrats disagree. Shortly after McConnell's comments, Democratic Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer reiterated his call for the White House to release full, unedited transcripts of Trump's meeting with the Russian officials.
"This is not normal behavior. This is not how a White House should operate," Schumer said. "Firing an FBI director who is investigating the president’s campaign, disclosing classified information to a country that wishes us harm and just finished undermining the integrity of our elections. We need our Republican colleagues to join us in standing up, to put country over party."
ABC News’ Arlette Saenz, Jordana Miller and Meghan Kenneally contributed to this report.
[FONT="]MR. SPICER: Well, I think we're doing -- the President is committed to enacting his agenda. He feels very strongly about what he's doing and why he's doing it. The leaks that occurred today are not helpful, first and foremost, to national security, beyond any other issue. But obviously the President is very proud of the work and the accomplishments that he's had in these first few months, and looking forward to this trip around the world that I think is really going to continue to grow the relationships that he's already started to build.
[/FONT][FONT="]MR. SPICER: I would just go back to the point that I think -- whether it's this particular country or any other, it is quite commonplace for us to share information on common threats that our countries face, or two countries face, or a variety of other information. It is a very commonplace thing to occur.
[/FONT][FONT="]MR. SPICER: Obviously, I'm not going to get into that kind of discussion. What I will say is, as I mentioned earlier, that we appreciate the strong relationship that we have with Israel with respect to intelligence-sharing, and hope to continue to grow that bond. But I'm not going to comment on specifically where it came from.
[/FONT][FONT="]MR. SPICER: Well, I think consistent with what he has said for a long time -- that the leaks of classified information, or sensitive information present -- there's a reason that they're classified. And the disclosure of them, the non-authorized disclosure of them, present a threat to national security. [/FONT]
[FONT="]MR. SPICER: Well, there’s several issues. One is he can obviously -- there is information that is shared with countries all the time on common threats or common areas of interest. Then there is a second question that you're asking, which is classification authority. My understanding is the President, of course, has classification authority. They're not synonymous though, right? [/FONT]
[FONT="]So the President can always discuss common threats or common issues with host nations -- excuse me -- with other heads of government or other government officials as he deems appropriate to tackle the threats our country faces. But that's -- just so you're clear, there are two separate issues. But, yes, he does on the second -- because that's not a question of what he thinks, that's just sort of like a fact.
MR. SPICER: I don't think it is appropriate for me to -- but I will tell you, when you look at that story, it would be impossible for the President to reveal the source of the information because, as General McMaster made very clear as he was leaving this podium, the President wasn’t briefed on the information and wasn’t aware of the source. So the President wasn’t aware of this. This wasn’t part of his briefing. So, therefore, to suggest that, therefore, he revealed it, is impossible.[/FONT]
[FONT="]
[/FONT]
Tips For Reading Washington Post Stories About Trump Based On Anonymous Leaks
In the midst of an active shooter situation, we have tips for how to judge breaking news. We need similar tips to manage anti-Trump breaking news.
By Mollie HemingwayMAY 16, 2017
On May 10, the Washington Post‘s Philip Rucker, Ashley Parker, Sari Horwitz, and Robert Costa claimed:In the midst of an active shooter situation, we have tips for how to judge breaking news. We need similar tips to manage anti-Trump breaking news.
By Mollie HemingwayMAY 16, 2017
[Deputy Attorney General Rod J.] Rosenstein threatened to resign after the narrative emerging from the White House on Tuesday evening cast him as a prime mover of the decision to fire Comey and that the president acted only on his recommendation, said the person close to the White House, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the matter.
But the “person close to the White House” who made the claim without using his or her name was contradicted by none other than Deputy Attorney General Rod J. Rosenstein himself. The next day he said, “I’m not quitting” when asked by reporters. “No,” he said to the follow-up question of whether he had threatened to quit.
On May 10, Ashley Parker wrote:
Last week, then-FBI Director James B. Comey requested more resources from the Justice Department for his bureau’s investigation into collusion between the Trump campaign and the Russian government, according to two officials with knowledge of the discussion.
The story was based on anonymous sources, naturally, and noted “The news was first reported by the New York Times.” If true, it would support a narrative that Trump had fired Comey not due to his general incompetence but because he was trying to thwart a legitimate and fruitful investigation. Anonymous sources again had something very different to say from people whose comments were tied to their names, who all denied the report. The Justice Department spokeswoman immediately responded that the claim was false, and her quote was included in the story:
Justice Department spokeswoman Sarah Isgur Flores said reports that Comey had requested more funding or other resources for the Russia investigation are ‘totally false.’ Such a request, she said, ‘did not happen.’
The next day under oath, acting FBI Director Andrew McCabe repeatedly denied that the probe into Russia was undersourced or requiring any additional funds. In response to one question about whether the FBI had sufficient resources to investigate, he said:
‘If you are referring to the Russia investigation, I do. I believe we have the adequate resources to do it and I know that we have resourced that investigation adequately,’ acting FBI director Andrew McCabe told lawmakers, adding that he was unaware of any request by the agency for additional resources.
Previous Washington Post stories sourced to anonymous “officials” have fallen apart, including Josh Rogin’s January 26 report claiming that “the State Department’s entire senior management team just resigned” as “part of an ongoing mass exodus of senior Foreign Service officers who don’t want to stick around for the Trump era.”
The story went viral before the truth caught up. As per procedure, the Obama administration had, in coordination with the incoming Trump administration, asked for the resignations of all political appointees. While it would have been traditional to let them stay for a few months, the Trump team let them know that their services wouldn’t be necessary. The entire story was wrong.
Rogin also had the false story that Steve Bannon had personally confronted Department of Homeland Security’s Gen. John F. Kelly to pressure him not to weaken an immigration ban. Take it away, Kelly:
‘It was a fantasy story,’ Kelly said. Of the reporter, he said: ‘Assuming he’s not making it up… whoever his sources are, are playing him for a fool.’
Each of these stories were explosive breaking news that served an anti-Trump narrative but later turned out to be false.
This week, the Washington Post reported that President Trump threatened national security during his meeting with Russians last week. The story was based on anonymous leaks regarding a real meeting that took place. The report was immediately slapped down as false by multiple high-level Trump officials who were present in the meeting:
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Natl Security Adviser McMaster made a statement denying a report that @POTUS revealed classified info to Russia. http://fxn.ws/2rkAYib
7:19 PM - 15 May 2017
He said,
The story that came out tonight as reported is false. 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. And the president did not disclose any military operations that were not already publicly known. Two other senior officials who were present, including the Secretary of the State, remember the meeting the same way and have said so. Their on the record accounts should outweigh anonymous sources. I was in the room. It didn’t happen.
Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said, “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.”
Dina Powell, deputy national security advisor for strategy, was also in the meeting. She said, “This story is false. The president only discussed the common threats that both countries faced.”
Now, clearly a meeting took place, and clearly things were discussed. But it’s hard to know if anything else in the Washington Post story was true. Particularly with three individuals all pushing back against it.
For context, it’s worth noting that breaking news is frequently wrong. In the aftermath of a terrorist attack or an active shooter, responsible journalists pass around a guide for how to monitor breaking news. Here it is:
Perhaps we need a similar guide for how to handle breaking news that comes from the Washington Post. It turns out we can keep many of the tips:
- In the immediate aftermath, news outlets will get it wrong.
- Don’t trust anonymous sources. If democracy dies in darkness, anonymity is not exactly transparent or accountable. Unless someone is willing to to put his or her name with a leak, be on guard. Pay attention to how well the reporters characterize the motivations of the anonymous leaker. All leakers have motivation. Does the paper seem to have a grasp on how the motivation affects the veracity of the leak?
- If someone is leaking national security information in order to support the claim of a national security violation, be on guard.
- If someone is claiming a serious national security crisis but not willing to go public with the claim and resign in protest of same, be on guard.
- Compare sources willing to put their name and reputation on the line.
- Big anti-Trump news brings out the fakers.
- Pay attention to the language that the media uses. Is a story about something unimportant being written in such a way as to make it seem more important?
- Beware confirmation bias. Everyone has the tendency to interpret new evidence as confirmation of one’s existing beliefs or theories. Be on guard that you don’t accept critical or exonerating evidence to match your political preferences.
- Pay attention to how quickly and fully editors and reporters correct stories based on false information from anonymous sources. If they don’t correct at all, it’s an indication of a lack of respect.
Mollie Ziegler Hemingway is a senior editor at The Federalist. Follow her on Twitter at @mzhemingway
Trump's disclosure endangered spy placed inside ISIS by Israel, officials say
By BRIAN ROSS, JAMES GORDON MEEK and RANDY KREIDERMay 16, 2017, 6:44 PM ET
WATCH: The White House denied a Washington Post report that Trump shared classified intelligence information in a recent meeting with members of the Russian government.
The life of a spy placed by Israel inside ISIS is at risk tonight, according to current and former U.S. officials, after President Donald Trump reportedly disclosed classified information in a meeting with Russian officials last week.
The spy provided intelligence involving an active ISIS plot to bring down a passenger jet en route to the United States, with a bomb hidden in a laptop that U.S. officials believe can get through airport screening machines undetected. The information was reliable enough that the U.S. is considering a ban on laptops on all flights from Europe to the United States.
The sensitive intelligence was shared with the United States, officials say, on the condition that the source remain confidential.
“The real risk is not just this source,” said Matt Olsen, the former Director of the National Counterterrorism Center and an ABC News contributor, “but future sources of information about plots against us.”
ISIS has already taken credit for blowing up a Russian airliner two years ago, killing more than 200 people, claiming the bomb was hidden in a soft drink can. The White House National Security Adviser says that justifies President Trump’s disclosures to the Russians.
“And so this was the context of the conversation in which it was wholly appropriate to share what the threat was as a basis for common action and coordination,” said General H.R. McMasters on Tuesday.
When pressed by ABC News' Jonathan Karl, McMaster would not say if Trump disclosed classified information. Trump said in a pair of tweets Tuesday he had the "absolute right" to share "facts" with the Russians.
But many in the counter-terrorism community say what the President did was a mistake.
“Russia is not part of the ISIS coalition,” Olsen said. “They are not our partner.”
Dan Shapiro, the former U.S. ambassador to Israel, now a senior visiting fellow at the Institute for National Security Studies in Tel Aviv, agreed.
In an interview with ABC News, he called the president and his team “careless,” saying that the reported disclosures demonstrate a “poor understanding of how to guard sensitive information."
Shapiro was most concerned, however, that the president’s move could make Israel think twice about sharing intelligence with the United States, warning that it will “inevitably cause elements of Israel's intelligence service to demonstrate more caution.”
The reaction in Congress appeared to diverge along partisan lines. Asked if he had concerns about the president’s handling of classified information, the Republican Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell let out a small laugh and before replying simply, "No."
But Democrats disagree. Shortly after McConnell's comments, Democratic Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer reiterated his call for the White House to release full, unedited transcripts of Trump's meeting with the Russian officials.
"This is not normal behavior. This is not how a White House should operate," Schumer said. "Firing an FBI director who is investigating the president’s campaign, disclosing classified information to a country that wishes us harm and just finished undermining the integrity of our elections. We need our Republican colleagues to join us in standing up, to put country over party."
ABC News’ Arlette Saenz, Jordana Miller and Meghan Kenneally contributed to this report.
U.S. President Donald Trump, right, and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House in February. PHOTO: ANDREW HARRER/BLOOMBERG NEWS
By Shane Harris and
Carol E. Lee
Updated May 16, 2017 7:54 p.m. ET1732 COMMENTS
The classified information that President Donald Trump shared last week with Russian officials had been gathered by Israeli intelligence, according to U.S. officials familiar with the matter, a disclosure that could have far-reaching consequences for U.S. national security.
The intelligence—concerning terrorist threats against airliners—was meant for U.S. eyes only and was provided as part of a longstanding sharing agreement that is predicated on mutual assurances of secrecy, these people said.
Mr. Trump defended on Tuesday his decision to share the information with the Russians, writing on Twitter that he had the “absolute right” to discuss threats with visiting dignitaries. H.R. McMaster, the president’s national security adviser, described the president’s disclosures as “wholly appropriate.”
The fallout left lawmakers on both sides of the aisle rattled, as Mr. Trump prepared to make his first foreign trip as president later this week.
The president’s decision to discuss sensitive intelligence with a U.S. adversary reignited concerns among lawmakers that Mr. Trump is either incapable or unwilling to handle discreetly the nation’s most guarded secrets. He also fanned tensions with U.S. intelligence agencies that date back to before the start of his presidency.
If other countries now shy away from sharing information with the U.S. in the future because they fear Mr. Trump won’t keep the intelligence under wraps, their decision could impede a range of operations from counterterrorism to combating weapons proliferation that depend on intelligence from foreign governments, officials said.
One isolated incident, though, isn’t likely to cause long-term problems because “other countries need U.S. intelligence cooperation more than the other way round,” said Sir Adam Thomson, a former United Kingdom ambassador to North Atlantic Treaty Organization and head of the European Leadership Network think tank.
“But if it looked like it was becoming a pattern by President Trump, then that would indeed have a chilling effect on many countries’ intelligence cooperation with the U.S.” Mr. Thomson said.
One U.S. official who works on counterterrorism operations said that the president seemed “utterly unaware” of the nature of intelligence operations and indifferent to the restrictions that officials place on information that is hard-won and intended for a small circle.
[h=4]MORE[/h]
- Live Coverage: White House Faces New Russia Questions
- McMaster Says Disclosure Was ‘Wholly Appropriate’
- Trump Administration Defends Sharing Information With Russia
- Allies Weigh Impact of Trump’s Disclosure of Intelligence
- Trump Shared Intelligence Secrets With Russians in Oval Office Meeting
- Spies Keep Intelligence From Donald Trump on Leak Concerns (Feb. 16)
- Day by Day: How the Crisis at the White House Deepened
McMaster: Trump's Conversation With Russians 'Wholly Appropriate'
National Security Adviser Lt. Gen. H.R. McMaster said on Tuesday that counterterrorism information that President Trump shared in a meeting with Russians in the Oval Office last week "was wholly appropriate," following reports that the president had revealed sensitive information. Photo: Reuters
The Israeli source was considered so sensitive that the U.S. hadn’t shared it with its closest allies in the so-called Five Eyes group, which includes the U.K. and Canada, the officials said. It came from a source, which is still unidentified, that Israel had developed before Mr. Trump was elected.
One former official who maintains close ties to the White House described a scene in which demoralized security officials have been racing to address one controversy after another. The conversation with the Russians in the Oval Office, while not likely to damage current operations, embarrasses the U.S. among its closest allies, the former official said.
What Mr. Trump discussed with the Russians wasn’t likely a surprise to them, given that news reports have described ambitions held by Islamic State and al Qaeda to attack airliners with concealed explosives. The U.S. is considering expanding a ban on certain electronic devices on airplanes.
Israeli officials didn’t confirm that they were the source of information. And Ron Dermer, the Israeli ambassador to the U.S., played down any potential damage to the relationship.
President Trump speaks to the media in the Roosevelt Room of the White House after meeting with Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Tuesday. PHOTO: KEVIN LAMARQUE/REUTERS
“Israel has full confidence in our intelligence-sharing relationship with the United States and looks forward to deepening that relationship in the years ahead under President Trump,” Mr. Dermer said in a statement.
But experts said the episode likely upset Israel’s intelligence sector.
“The Israeli government, especially days before a presidential visit, has no choice but try to down play the damage that’s done by this leak,” said Daniel Shapiro, a former U.S. ambassador to Israel. But for Israeli intelligence officials “if information is revealed to an unfriendly country like Russia, they take this very seriously.”
Mr. McMaster and others at the White House sought to dispel the notion that Mr. Trump had jeopardized national security interests. Officials there are convinced that members of intelligence community are deliberately leaking information to undermine and embarrass Mr. Trump.
On Tuesday, the White House provided more details about how Mr. Trump’s comments came to light. After a report on the meeting with the Russian officials was entered into an internal system, an aide pointed out part of the discussion related to aviation threats, officials said.
Tom Bossert, Mr. Trump’s homeland security and counterterrorism adviser, who wasn’t in the meeting, saw the report after staff drew his attention to the president's remarks. Mr. Bossert was alarmed and made the decision to call the National Security Agency and the Central Intelligence Agency to ask how the meeting report should be classified, based on what Mr. Trump had said in the meeting, a senior U.S. official said.
White House officials said the president didn’t inappropriately share intelligence from an ally. They said Mr. Trump spoke about threats to civil aviation coming from Islamic State, noting that Russia had a common interest with the U.S. in preventing such threats.
Mr. McMaster said Mr. Trump emphasized “common interests” between the U.S. and Russia, citing Islamic State’s downing of a Russian jetliner in 2015.
White House reassurances haven’t placated some Republicans and Democrats, who said they’re concerned the president’s actions could have a chilling effect on intelligence sharing.
“If there was disclosure of sensitive information from a traditional partner, other countries will watch that, and they may adjust their behavior accordingly,” said Rep. Mac Thornberry (R., Texas), chairman of the House Armed Services Committee.
Rep. Adam Schiff of California, the ranking Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, said mistrust from an allied intelligence country can have very serious repercussions for U.S. security.
“If the source is a sister intelligence agency of a friendly country, that country could decide it can’t trust the United States with information, or worse, that it can’t trust the president of the United States with information,” he said.
The State Department faced repercussions from allies over its indiscretion with information in 2010, when WikiLeaks published hundreds of thousands of U.S. diplomatic cables, many of them containing sensitive information that foreign officials or intelligence sources had passed along to U.S. envoys abroad.
But the concerns from foreign countries that were exposed in the leaks were related to the security of U.S. databases, not the ability of the commander-in-chief to keep secrets.
—Julian E. Barnes
and Alan Cullison contributed to this article.
Write to Shane Harris at shane.harris@wsj.com and Carol E. Lee at carol.lee@wsj.com
Appeared in the May. 17, 2017, print edition as 'Israel Provided Secrets Relayed to Russia.'
U.S. President Donald Trump, right, and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House in February. PHOTO: ANDREW HARRER/BLOOMBERG NEWS
By Shane Harris and
Carol E. Lee
Updated May 16, 2017 7:54 p.m. ET1732 COMMENTS
The classified information that President Donald Trump shared last week with Russian officials had been gathered by Israeli intelligence, according to U.S. officials familiar with the matter, a disclosure that could have far-reaching consequences for U.S. national security.
The intelligence—concerning terrorist threats against airliners—was meant for U.S. eyes only and was provided as part of a longstanding sharing agreement that is predicated on mutual assurances of secrecy, these people said.
Mr. Trump defended on Tuesday his decision to share the information with the Russians, writing on Twitter that he had the “absolute right” to discuss threats with visiting dignitaries. H.R. McMaster, the president’s national security adviser, described the president’s disclosures as “wholly appropriate.”
The fallout left lawmakers on both sides of the aisle rattled, as Mr. Trump prepared to make his first foreign trip as president later this week.
The president’s decision to discuss sensitive intelligence with a U.S. adversary reignited concerns among lawmakers that Mr. Trump is either incapable or unwilling to handle discreetly the nation’s most guarded secrets. He also fanned tensions with U.S. intelligence agencies that date back to before the start of his presidency.
If other countries now shy away from sharing information with the U.S. in the future because they fear Mr. Trump won’t keep the intelligence under wraps, their decision could impede a range of operations from counterterrorism to combating weapons proliferation that depend on intelligence from foreign governments, officials said.
One isolated incident, though, isn’t likely to cause long-term problems because “other countries need U.S. intelligence cooperation more than the other way round,” said Sir Adam Thomson, a former United Kingdom ambassador to North Atlantic Treaty Organization and head of the European Leadership Network think tank.
“But if it looked like it was becoming a pattern by President Trump, then that would indeed have a chilling effect on many countries’ intelligence cooperation with the U.S.” Mr. Thomson said.
One U.S. official who works on counterterrorism operations said that the president seemed “utterly unaware” of the nature of intelligence operations and indifferent to the restrictions that officials place on information that is hard-won and intended for a small circle.
MORE
- Live Coverage: White House Faces New Russia Questions
- McMaster Says Disclosure Was ‘Wholly Appropriate’
- Trump Administration Defends Sharing Information With Russia
- Allies Weigh Impact of Trump’s Disclosure of Intelligence
- Trump Shared Intelligence Secrets With Russians in Oval Office Meeting
- Spies Keep Intelligence From Donald Trump on Leak Concerns (Feb. 16)
- Day by Day: How the Crisis at the White House Deepened
McMaster: Trump's Conversation With Russians 'Wholly Appropriate'
National Security Adviser Lt. Gen. H.R. McMaster said on Tuesday that counterterrorism information that President Trump shared in a meeting with Russians in the Oval Office last week "was wholly appropriate," following reports that the president had revealed sensitive information. Photo: Reuters
The Israeli source was considered so sensitive that the U.S. hadn’t shared it with its closest allies in the so-called Five Eyes group, which includes the U.K. and Canada, the officials said. It came from a source, which is still unidentified, that Israel had developed before Mr. Trump was elected.
One former official who maintains close ties to the White House described a scene in which demoralized security officials have been racing to address one controversy after another. The conversation with the Russians in the Oval Office, while not likely to damage current operations, embarrasses the U.S. among its closest allies, the former official said.
What Mr. Trump discussed with the Russians wasn’t likely a surprise to them, given that news reports have described ambitions held by Islamic State and al Qaeda to attack airliners with concealed explosives. The U.S. is considering expanding a ban on certain electronic devices on airplanes.
Israeli officials didn’t confirm that they were the source of information. And Ron Dermer, the Israeli ambassador to the U.S., played down any potential damage to the relationship.
President Trump speaks to the media in the Roosevelt Room of the White House after meeting with Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Tuesday. PHOTO: KEVIN LAMARQUE/REUTERS
“Israel has full confidence in our intelligence-sharing relationship with the United States and looks forward to deepening that relationship in the years ahead under President Trump,” Mr. Dermer said in a statement.
But experts said the episode likely upset Israel’s intelligence sector.
“The Israeli government, especially days before a presidential visit, has no choice but try to down play the damage that’s done by this leak,” said Daniel Shapiro, a former U.S. ambassador to Israel. But for Israeli intelligence officials “if information is revealed to an unfriendly country like Russia, they take this very seriously.”
Mr. McMaster and others at the White House sought to dispel the notion that Mr. Trump had jeopardized national security interests. Officials there are convinced that members of intelligence community are deliberately leaking information to undermine and embarrass Mr. Trump.
On Tuesday, the White House provided more details about how Mr. Trump’s comments came to light. After a report on the meeting with the Russian officials was entered into an internal system, an aide pointed out part of the discussion related to aviation threats, officials said.
Tom Bossert, Mr. Trump’s homeland security and counterterrorism adviser, who wasn’t in the meeting, saw the report after staff drew his attention to the president's remarks. Mr. Bossert was alarmed and made the decision to call the National Security Agency and the Central Intelligence Agency to ask how the meeting report should be classified, based on what Mr. Trump had said in the meeting, a senior U.S. official said.
White House officials said the president didn’t inappropriately share intelligence from an ally. They said Mr. Trump spoke about threats to civil aviation coming from Islamic State, noting that Russia had a common interest with the U.S. in preventing such threats.
Mr. McMaster said Mr. Trump emphasized “common interests” between the U.S. and Russia, citing Islamic State’s downing of a Russian jetliner in 2015.
White House reassurances haven’t placated some Republicans and Democrats, who said they’re concerned the president’s actions could have a chilling effect on intelligence sharing.
“If there was disclosure of sensitive information from a traditional partner, other countries will watch that, and they may adjust their behavior accordingly,” said Rep. Mac Thornberry (R., Texas), chairman of the House Armed Services Committee.
Rep. Adam Schiff of California, the ranking Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, said mistrust from an allied intelligence country can have very serious repercussions for U.S. security.
“If the source is a sister intelligence agency of a friendly country, that country could decide it can’t trust the United States with information, or worse, that it can’t trust the president of the United States with information,” he said.
The State Department faced repercussions from allies over its indiscretion with information in 2010, when WikiLeaks published hundreds of thousands of U.S. diplomatic cables, many of them containing sensitive information that foreign officials or intelligence sources had passed along to U.S. envoys abroad.
But the concerns from foreign countries that were exposed in the leaks were related to the security of U.S. databases, not the ability of the commander-in-chief to keep secrets.
—Julian E. Barnes
and Alan Cullison contributed to this article.
Write to Shane Harris at shane.harris@wsj.com and Carol E. Lee at carol.lee@wsj.com
Appeared in the May. 17, 2017, print edition as 'Israel Provided Secrets Relayed to Russia.'
MR. SPICER: I think it’s safe to say that the President is going to look to anybody who wants to share our goal of eradicating radical Islamic terrorism, ISIL, and other threats from around the globe
MR. SPICER: Well, number one, to make any assumptions about what was shared, what wasn’t shared, and what processes were or were not followed would be highly speculative.
Number two, as I’ve said repeatedly, the information that was shared was on a common threat and one that we both have a shared goal in eradicating. So to suggest that -- which I think is the nut of the question -- why wouldn’t we want to share a common threat and the efforts that both countries are taking to eradicate a threat that we both feel?
MR. SPICER: Hold on, with all due respect, you have no understanding of that. For you -- and I’m not -- but to sit back and say, because it hasn’t been leaked out -- I mean, that’s the nature of the leak. Somebody is selectively leaking information and facts. And there’s a reason it’s selective; it’s because they’re trying to create -- you know, and again, for me to guess why -- but at least it appears as though somebody is trying to create a narrative or a problem.
But to further suggest that somehow because you get one piece of a puzzle, that you know what the entire puzzle looks like -- even to suggest that that piece is accurate, which, in this case, you’ve heard our position on that. But this is clearly a pattern of people releasing sensitive information to further what appears to be someone’s agenda.
And I think that, again, the President has raised this. Several people in the administration have raised this. But the idea that there is no concern or seemingly no concern over something like this being put out in the open I think is, frankly, concerning. And it should be to every American that we have information of a sensitive and classified nature that is being sent out into the open.
MR. SPICER: Well, I think to presume that -- I mean, that conversation is still private. And to just assume what was and wasn’t discussed would not be accurate. I’m not going to get into the contents of that.
MR. SPICER: Well, number one, to make any assumptions about what was shared, what wasn’t shared, and what processes were or were not followed would be highly speculative.
Number two, as I’ve said repeatedly, the information that was shared was on a common threat and one that we both have a shared goal in eradicating. So to suggest that -- which I think is the nut of the question -- why wouldn’t we want to share a common threat and the efforts that both countries are taking to eradicate a threat that we both feel?
MR. SPICER: Well, I think we're doing -- the President is committed to enacting his agenda. He feels very strongly about what he's doing and why he's doing it. The leaks that occurred today are not helpful, first and foremost, to national security, beyond any other issue. But obviously the President is very proud of the work and the accomplishments that he's had in these first few months, and looking forward to this trip around the world that I think is really going to continue to grow the relationships that he's already started to build.
MR. SPICER: I would just go back to the point that I think -- whether it's this particular country or any other, it is quite commonplace for us to share information on common threats that our countries face, or two countries face, or a variety of other information. It is a very commonplace thing to occur.
MR. SPICER: Obviously, I'm not going to get into that kind of discussion. What I will say is, as I mentioned earlier, that we appreciate the strong relationship that we have with Israel with respect to intelligence-sharing, and hope to continue to grow that bond. But I'm not going to comment on specifically where it came from.
MR. SPICER: Well, I think consistent with what he has said for a long time -- that the leaks of classified information, or sensitive information present -- there's a reason that they're classified. And the disclosure of them, the non-authorized disclosure of them, present a threat to national security.
MR. SPICER: Well, there’s several issues. One is he can obviously -- there is information that is shared with countries all the time on common threats or common areas of interest. Then there is a second question that you're asking, which is classification authority. My understanding is the President, of course, has classification authority. They're not synonymous though, right?
So the President can always discuss common threats or common issues with host nations -- excuse me -- with other heads of government or other government officials as he deems appropriate to tackle the threats our country faces. But that's -- just so you're clear, there are two separate issues. But, yes, he does on the second -- because that's not a question of what he thinks, that's just sort of like a fact.
MR. SPICER: I don't think it is appropriate for me to -- but I will tell you, when you look at that story, it would be impossible for the President to reveal the source of the information because, as General McMaster made very clear as he was leaving this podium, the President wasn’t briefed on the information and wasn’t aware of the source. So the President wasn’t aware of this. This wasn’t part of his briefing. So, therefore, to suggest that, therefore, he revealed it, is impossible.
U.S. President Donald Trump, right, and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House in February. PHOTO: ANDREW HARRER/BLOOMBERG NEWS
By Shane Harris and
Carol E. Lee
Updated May 16, 2017 7:54 p.m. ET1732 COMMENTS
The classified information that President Donald Trump shared last week with Russian officials had been gathered by Israeli intelligence, according to U.S. officials familiar with the matter, a disclosure that could have far-reaching consequences for U.S. national security.
The intelligence—concerning terrorist threats against airliners—was meant for U.S. eyes only and was provided as part of a longstanding sharing agreement that is predicated on mutual assurances of secrecy, these people said.
Mr. Trump defended on Tuesday his decision to share the information with the Russians, writing on Twitter that he had the “absolute right” to discuss threats with visiting dignitaries. H.R. McMaster, the president’s national security adviser, described the president’s disclosures as “wholly appropriate.”
The fallout left lawmakers on both sides of the aisle rattled, as Mr. Trump prepared to make his first foreign trip as president later this week.
The president’s decision to discuss sensitive intelligence with a U.S. adversary reignited concerns among lawmakers that Mr. Trump is either incapable or unwilling to handle discreetly the nation’s most guarded secrets. He also fanned tensions with U.S. intelligence agencies that date back to before the start of his presidency.
If other countries now shy away from sharing information with the U.S. in the future because they fear Mr. Trump won’t keep the intelligence under wraps, their decision could impede a range of operations from counterterrorism to combating weapons proliferation that depend on intelligence from foreign governments, officials said.
One isolated incident, though, isn’t likely to cause long-term problems because “other countries need U.S. intelligence cooperation more than the other way round,” said Sir Adam Thomson, a former United Kingdom ambassador to North Atlantic Treaty Organization and head of the European Leadership Network think tank.
“But if it looked like it was becoming a pattern by President Trump, then that would indeed have a chilling effect on many countries’ intelligence cooperation with the U.S.” Mr. Thomson said.
One U.S. official who works on counterterrorism operations said that the president seemed “utterly unaware” of the nature of intelligence operations and indifferent to the restrictions that officials place on information that is hard-won and intended for a small circle.
MORE
- Live Coverage: White House Faces New Russia Questions
- McMaster Says Disclosure Was ‘Wholly Appropriate’
- Trump Administration Defends Sharing Information With Russia
- Allies Weigh Impact of Trump’s Disclosure of Intelligence
- Trump Shared Intelligence Secrets With Russians in Oval Office Meeting
- Spies Keep Intelligence From Donald Trump on Leak Concerns (Feb. 16)
- Day by Day: How the Crisis at the White House Deepened
McMaster: Trump's Conversation With Russians 'Wholly Appropriate'
National Security Adviser Lt. Gen. H.R. McMaster said on Tuesday that counterterrorism information that President Trump shared in a meeting with Russians in the Oval Office last week "was wholly appropriate," following reports that the president had revealed sensitive information. Photo: Reuters
The Israeli source was considered so sensitive that the U.S. hadn’t shared it with its closest allies in the so-called Five Eyes group, which includes the U.K. and Canada, the officials said. It came from a source, which is still unidentified, that Israel had developed before Mr. Trump was elected.
One former official who maintains close ties to the White House described a scene in which demoralized security officials have been racing to address one controversy after another. The conversation with the Russians in the Oval Office, while not likely to damage current operations, embarrasses the U.S. among its closest allies, the former official said.
What Mr. Trump discussed with the Russians wasn’t likely a surprise to them, given that news reports have described ambitions held by Islamic State and al Qaeda to attack airliners with concealed explosives. The U.S. is considering expanding a ban on certain electronic devices on airplanes.
Israeli officials didn’t confirm that they were the source of information. And Ron Dermer, the Israeli ambassador to the U.S., played down any potential damage to the relationship.
President Trump speaks to the media in the Roosevelt Room of the White House after meeting with Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Tuesday. PHOTO: KEVIN LAMARQUE/REUTERS
“Israel has full confidence in our intelligence-sharing relationship with the United States and looks forward to deepening that relationship in the years ahead under President Trump,” Mr. Dermer said in a statement.
But experts said the episode likely upset Israel’s intelligence sector.
“The Israeli government, especially days before a presidential visit, has no choice but try to down play the damage that’s done by this leak,” said Daniel Shapiro, a former U.S. ambassador to Israel. But for Israeli intelligence officials “if information is revealed to an unfriendly country like Russia, they take this very seriously.”
Mr. McMaster and others at the White House sought to dispel the notion that Mr. Trump had jeopardized national security interests. Officials there are convinced that members of intelligence community are deliberately leaking information to undermine and embarrass Mr. Trump.
On Tuesday, the White House provided more details about how Mr. Trump’s comments came to light. After a report on the meeting with the Russian officials was entered into an internal system, an aide pointed out part of the discussion related to aviation threats, officials said.
Tom Bossert, Mr. Trump’s homeland security and counterterrorism adviser, who wasn’t in the meeting, saw the report after staff drew his attention to the president's remarks. Mr. Bossert was alarmed and made the decision to call the National Security Agency and the Central Intelligence Agency to ask how the meeting report should be classified, based on what Mr. Trump had said in the meeting, a senior U.S. official said.
White House officials said the president didn’t inappropriately share intelligence from an ally. They said Mr. Trump spoke about threats to civil aviation coming from Islamic State, noting that Russia had a common interest with the U.S. in preventing such threats.
Mr. McMaster said Mr. Trump emphasized “common interests” between the U.S. and Russia, citing Islamic State’s downing of a Russian jetliner in 2015.
White House reassurances haven’t placated some Republicans and Democrats, who said they’re concerned the president’s actions could have a chilling effect on intelligence sharing.
“If there was disclosure of sensitive information from a traditional partner, other countries will watch that, and they may adjust their behavior accordingly,” said Rep. Mac Thornberry (R., Texas), chairman of the House Armed Services Committee.
Rep. Adam Schiff of California, the ranking Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, said mistrust from an allied intelligence country can have very serious repercussions for U.S. security.
“If the source is a sister intelligence agency of a friendly country, that country could decide it can’t trust the United States with information, or worse, that it can’t trust the president of the United States with information,” he said.
The State Department faced repercussions from allies over its indiscretion with information in 2010, when WikiLeaks published hundreds of thousands of U.S. diplomatic cables, many of them containing sensitive information that foreign officials or intelligence sources had passed along to U.S. envoys abroad.
But the concerns from foreign countries that were exposed in the leaks were related to the security of U.S. databases, not the ability of the commander-in-chief to keep secrets.
—Julian E. Barnes
and Alan Cullison contributed to this article.
Write to Shane Harris at shane.harris@wsj.com and Carol E. Lee at carol.lee@wsj.com
Appeared in the May. 17, 2017, print edition as 'Israel Provided Secrets Relayed to Russia.'
[FONT="]GENERAL H.R. MCMASTER, NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISER: At no time, at no time were intelligence sources or methods discussed and the president did not disclose any military operations that were not already publicly known.
[/FONT]National Security Adviser Gen. H.R. McMaster briefs press --
McMaster reiterates who was in the room when Trump met with Russians
McMaster said that he was in the room, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson was in the room, as was the deputy adviser for national security, Dina Powell.
He said none of them felt that the conversation Trump had with the Russians was inappropriate.
National Security Adviser Gen. H.R. McMaster briefs press --
McMaster reiterates who was in the room when Trump met with Russians
McMaster said that he was in the room, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson was in the room, as was the deputy adviser for national security, Dina Powell.
He said none of them felt that the conversation Trump had with the Russians was inappropriate.
Trump's conversation with Russians was "wholly appropriate," McMaster says
McMaster was asked if he was denying that the president revealed information that was given to the U.S. by an intelligence partner. McMaster said he won't discuss what is and what isn't classified.
"What I will do is tell you that in the context of that discussions, what the president discussed with the foreign minister is wholly appropriate in that conversation," he said.
McMaster said that he's not going to be the one to confirm information that could "jeopardize our security."
McMaster stands by statement refuting Washington Post story
McMaster was asked if he sticks by his assertion that the Post story that said the president shared classified information with the Russians is "false." He said, "I stand by my statement that I made yesterday."
He said that the premise of the story if "false" and that Trump's conversation with Russian officials last week were not "inappropriate" and didn't result in a lapse of national security.
He said that the "real issue" is that national security has been put at risk those violating confidentiality and those releasing information to the press.
