Trump Admitted He Shared 'Facts' with Russian Officials

In a pair of early morning tweets Tuesday, President Donald Trump admitted he shared "facts pertaining to terrorism and airline flight safety" with top Russian officials in a White House meeting last week.

Trump took to Twitter to defend his meeting with Russia's foreign minister Sergei Lavrov and ambassador Sergey Kislyak, saying he had an "absolute right" to reveal information for "humanitarian reasons." He added that he also wanted to encourage Russia to "greatly step up their fight against ISIS & terrorism."

The tweets follow an explosive report from the Washington Post Monday that revealed Trump had disclosed highly classified intelligence he'd gleaned from a US ally in that meeting with Russia without permission to do so. According to current and former US officials who spoke to the Post, the slip could potentially jeopardize a crucial stream of intelligence on ISIS and puts America's relationship with that ally at risk. One official said Trump "revealed more information to the Russian ambassador than we have shared with our own allies."

National security adviser H.R. McMaster was also present at that meeting and denied the Post's report on Monday, saying at a press conference that "the story that came out tonight as reported is false." However, officials confirmed the Post's original report to BuzzFeed News, the New York Times, and Reuters.

"The president and the foreign minister reviewed a range of common threats to our two countries, including threats to civil aviation," he said. "At no time—at no time—were any intelligence sources or methods discussed. And no military operations were disclosed that were not already known publicly."

If Trump did reveal highly classified information, as reported, it doesn't mean he broke the law. As president, he does have the legal authority to declassify government intelligence. But senior officials told the Post they're worried Trump might not understand just how sensitive the info he disclosed to the Russians may be. A European official told the Associated Press on Tuesday that an ally might stop sharing intelligence with the US if Trump can't be trusted.

"Trump seems to be very reckless and doesn't grasp the gravity of the things he's dealing with, especially when it comes to intelligence and national security," one former US official told the Post. "And it's all clouded because of this problem he has with Russia."

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