WAPO: Trump shared highly classified intel to Russians in Oval Office

[Dill]

(05-16-2017, 03:06 PM)Goalpost Wrote: My understanding is that McMasters is very well respected on both sides.  I trust him over the WAPO.

Then trust that McMasters has pretty much confirmed the WAPO article by insisting Trump did not know the source of the intel he passed on.

I have a lot of respect for McMasters. Along with Mattis, he is one of the two or three grownups who has Trump's ear. But this is not a matter of reporters lying and a general telling the truth. Our allies also have respect for McMasters, but they as they watch yet another unprecedented White House crisis unfold, they are not thinking "I'll believe him over a reporter." They are thinking  "What are the chances some reporter just decided to tell a lie or trust sources he could not confirm?"

Keep in mind that if Trump breaks protocol and passes on intel TO the Russians that has not been cleared FOR the Russians, McMasters cannot just say "Regrettably, yes, the president ignored pressure to spend a few days before the meeting determining what could be passed on to Russians or not (as Obama and Bush and Clinton did)."  All McMasters can do for the moment is damage control--minimize the leak, and say things for Israel to hear immediately to allay some of their concern (Trump did not mention methods of collections or current troop movements etc.).  He is in the same bind as all Trump surrogates are now.