"Trump gave secret information about ISIS to Russia"; White House denies
A number of media outlets and news agencies, citing unnamed officials, say that the US President provided Russian officials with "secret information" about ISIS during a meeting with the Russian Foreign Minister. The White House has denied these reports.
Reuters, the Washington Post, and a number of other media outlets reported on the evening of May 15, citing unnamed officials, that US President Donald Trump revealed classified information about the Islamic State group during a meeting last week with Sergei Lavrov and Sergei Kislyak, Russia's Foreign Minister and ambassador to Washington.
According to the media, the information that Mr. Trump provided to Russian officials was "top secret" information and was provided to Washington through a US allied intelligence source.
According to published reports, the information provider had not given the United States permission to provide it to Moscow, and Mr. Trump's decision in this matter may jeopardize cooperation with this Washington ally, which has access to the inner circle of the so-called "Islamic State" group.
The media say: During the meeting of the US President with Mr. Lavrov and Mr. Kislyak at the White House, Mr. Trump provided them with details about the threats emanating from the ISIS group regarding the use of laptops on airplanes. Not long ago, the US government, "following receiving terrorist threats," banned the carrying of a number of personal items, such as laptops, in the cabin during air travel from some destinations to this country.
The Washington Post says that for many citizens, providing classified information is considered an illegal act, but the president has broad powers that allow him to reveal government secrets, which makes it highly unlikely that Mr. Trump's action was actually "illegal."
Government and legislators' response
Following the publication of reports about the meeting and talks between Trump and Lavrov, the US Secretary of State and the US President's National Security Advisor have issued statements denying any improper event.
McMaster, Donald Trump's national security adviser, said that "the President and the Secretary of State reviewed a number of threats posed by terrorist groups, including threats related to aviation."
The White House official added: "At no time was any source or method of obtaining information discussed, no military operations disclosed, and what was discussed was known to everyone."
US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson also said that “during the meeting between President Trump and [Russian] Foreign Minister Lavrov, various topics were discussed, including joint counterterrorism efforts and the common threats they pose. But they did not discuss the source, methods, or military operations.”
On the other hand, a number of representatives of the United States Congress have also reacted to the published reports.
Senator Mark Warner, the top Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee, said that if the allegations are true, it would be a "slap in the face" for the US intelligence community.
Senator Bob Corker, the Republican chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, also called the reports “troubling.” “We have a very good national security team working in the White House right now, and there are some very good, constructive things happening by them and others, but the chaos that comes with the lack of discipline … has created a troubling atmosphere,” Corker told reporters.
The meeting between Mr. Trump and Mr. Lavrov took place on May 10. This was Mr. Lavrov's first visit to the White House in the past four years, as Washington and Russia's differences over Ukraine and Syria escalated.
Source: Radio Farda
