Donald Trump

Blumenthal: Trump May Have Jeopardized US National Security

The senator also said the disclosure, if true, "threatens our credibility in dealing with partners and allies"

Sen. Richard Blumenthal, a Democrat from Connecticut, said Tuesday that U.S. national security has been jeopardized if accusations that President Donald Trump revealed highly classified information to Russian officials about an Islamic State plot are true.

The Washington Post, citing anonymous officials, reported that Trump relayed highly classified information about a threat related to the use of laptop computers on aircraft -- information provided by a U.S. partner through an intelligence-sharing arrangement -- to Russian diplomats during a closed-door meeting in the Oval Office last week. 

The sources told the Post the information was considered so sensitive that details have been withheld from allies and tightly restricted even within the U.S. government.

NBC News has not independently confirmed the Washington Post's report. 

On Monday, National Security Adviser H.R. McMaster denounced the report, saying Trump did not disclose intelligence sources or methods to the Russians and "the president did not disclose any military operations that were not already publicly known," The Associated Press reported. 

But on Tuesday, Trump tweeted that he shared "facts pertaining to terrorism" and airline safety with Russia, had the authority to do it as president and did so for "humanitarian reasons." Trump's tweets did not say whether he revealed classified information about the Islamic State group.

“In the opinion of many intelligence community members, there is a jeopardy to our national security because the disclosure about this laptop plot, including the city where it was detected, an ISIS territory, could jeopardize lives of sources and it also threatens our credibility in dealing with partners and allies who provide extraordinarily valuable and sensitive information,” Blumenthal said during an appearance on the "Today" show.

White House officials have pushed back against the report, but did not deny that classified information was disclosed in the May 10 meeting.

Asked by "Today's" Matt Lauer if McMaster's denial is "the same thing as saying the president did not disclose highly classified intelligence?," Blumenthal said “no.”

“He may have well disclosed highly classified information, code word information is what the Washington Post reported, and that is a serious breach of norms and rules," Blumenthal said. "And may well enable the Russians —who are our adversaries in that part of the world — to trace sources and methods of information."

The Washington Post report also makes reference to a "transcript" of the Russia meeting, raising questions of whether conversations in the Oval Office have been recorded.

Blumenthal said Congress must issue a subpoena of any tapes or transcripts of recordings in the Oval Office "to uncover truth and preserve evidence - both [of ousted FBI Director James] Comey and meeting with Russians.”

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