Republican Presidential candidate Donald Trump at the CNBC Republican Presidential Debate at University of Colorado in Boulder, Colorado. October 28, 2015.
Photo by Justin Sullivan for Getty Images
President Donald Trump revealed highly classified information during his meeting last week during a meeting at the White House with the Russian foreign minister and ambassador, according to a report in The Washington Post.
U.S. officials present for the meeting told the Post that the president revealed "code word" intel, an extremely sensitive form of information used in intelligence agencies, and withheld from certain allies. The specifics of the information have been withheld by the Post, as it could compromise ongoing operations, but the material Trump revealed could reportedly endanger missions against ISIL, and a valuable operative who has in-depth knowledge of the terrorist organize.
During the meeting, Trump seemed to be "boasting" about the "great intel" he received on a daily basis. One anonymous official described the effect such behavior is having on the presidency. “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. And it’s all clouded because of this problem he has with Russia,” he said.
The scope of the leaks is broad. The president “revealed more information to the Russian ambassador than we have shared with our own allies" according to an official speaking with The Post, while another told BuzzFeed that the President's revelations are “far worse than what has already been reported.”
Trump's meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and Ambassador Sergey Kislyak occurred one day after the president stoked massive controversy by firing James Comey, the FBI director handling the investigation of possible Russian collusion with Trump's presidential campaign. Soon after winning the election, Trump had dinner with Comey who claimed that Trump asked several times for Comey to pledge loyalty to the President-elect. During an interview with Lester Holt soon after Comey's firing, Trump admitted that he had been thinking about the Russia investigation when he decided to fire Comey.