Current and former U.S. officials told ABC News a spy embedded inside ISIS by Israel was the source of intelligence that President Trump disclosed to Russian officials, and is in danger tonight.
Per ABC's report: "The spy provided intelligence involving an active ISIS plot to bring down a passenger jet en route to the United States, with a bomb hidden in a laptop that U.S. officials believe can get through airport screening machines undetected."
According to reports, Trump did not have clearance from Israel to share the intelligence with Russia.
A big ticket item of President Trump's Middle East trip this week is expected to be the announcement of arms sales and financial investments worth hundreds of billions of dollars with Saudi Arabia. The Wall Street Journal popped an insightful piece on the negotiations yesterday.
Behind-the-scenes: I can share some more detail on the deal's contents, based on my conversations with U.S. officials who have been briefed on the closed-door negotiations.
President Trump asked then-FBI Director James Comey to shut down the federal government's investigation into former national security advisor Michael Flynn on the day after Flynn's February ouster, per the NY Times.
The source: Comey wrote a memo immediately after the Oval Office meeting, which states that Trump said, "I hope you can see your way clear to letting this go, to letting Flynn go."
Israel was the source of classified information President Trump reportedly shared with top Russian officials last week, "a current and a former U.S. official familiar with how the U.S. obtained the information" told The New York Times. The officials told NYT that "at least some of the details" Trump shared regarding an ISIS-held plot came from the Israelis.
Why this matters: Trump is set to visit Israel — the closest U.S. ally in the Middle East — during his upcoming trip abroad. The claims that Trump passed classified information shared by Israel to Russia could be detrimental to the U.S./Israel relationship.
One big problem: This leaves the door open for Russia to share that information with its close ally Iran — one of Israel's biggest adversaries, as the NYT points out.
Ranking Member of the House Intel Committee Adam Schiff said "the denials from the administration" about Trump's disclosure of highly classified information to Russian officials "are really a form of non-denial denial," during an interview with NYT's David Sanger at the Center for American Progress' Ideas Conference Tuesday.
What they're not saying: Schiff added the administration's statements that "the president did not discuss war plans is a bit of a non sequitur, and saying he did not discuss sources and methods is a bit of ruse," since that's not what the report was about.
President Trump gave a joint statement with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan at the White House today, but the real intrigue came at the end when Trump dodged a question from the press pool on his reported disclosure of confidential information to Russian officials last week, simply saying he had "a very, very successful meeting with the foreign minister of Russia," which he said would help the U.S. counter ISIS.
President Trump welcomed Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to the White House this afternoon — a controversial move that critics claim legitimizes Erdogan's crackdown in Turkey and his move to consolidate power.
The two leaders are expected to present a joint statement at 1 PM.
CIA Director Mike Pompeo will brief members of the House Intelligence committee Tuesday on the information that President Trump shared with Russian Foreign Secretary Sergey Lavrov and Ambassador Sergey Kislyak in an Oval Office meeting last week, reports CNN. It is still unclear whether the information was classified, as was reported.
Earlier today: National Security Adviser H.R. McMaster wouldn't deny that Trump revealed classified intel, and said Trump made the decision on the fly. He also noted that the president "wasn't even aware of where that information came from."
National Security Adviser H.R. McMaster didn't deny that Trump revealed classified info during his meeting with top Russian officials last week, and said Trump made the decision on the fly. He added that "The president wasn't even aware of where that information came from" as Trump wasn't briefed on the source.
The president's decision to "share" intel with Russia is landing with a thud in Europe:
The big story: A "senior European intelligence official" told the AP that his country, which was not identified, could stop sharing information with the U.S. to protect its sources.
One named quote: German lawmaker Burkhard Lischka told the AP it would be "highly worrying" if the story was true, adding such behavior would make Trump "a security risk for the entire world."
Why it matters: The U.S. regularly shares and receives classified security information with European countries. Jeopardizing those relationship could long outlast the Trump administration.
When asked about the reports that President Trump shared classified information with senior Russian officials, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell told Bloomberg's Kevin Cirilli Tuesday morning:
"I think we could do with a little less drama from the White House on a lot of things so that we can focus on the agenda."
Several top White House officials have now gone on the record to rebut yesterday's Washington Post report that Trump revealed highly classified information to Russian officials last week. One of the authors of that piece, Greg Miller, has branded the White House denials as "playing word games," but none of them directly contradict the Post's reporting, which says Trump "did not reveal the specific intelligence-gathering method."
President Trump's word games: "As President I wanted to share with Russia (at an openly scheduled W.H. meeting) which I have the absolute right to do, facts pertaining to terrorism and airline flight safety. Humanitarian reasons, plus I want Russia to greatly step up their fight against ISIS & terrorism."
The overarching concern: Trump shared information from a key Middle Eastern partner, which the U.S. was not authorized to release, potentially placing that partner's intelligence methods and sources in grave danger.
Secretary of State Rex Tillerson: "During President Trump's meeting with Foreign Minister Lavrov a broad range of subjects were discussed among which were common efforts and threats regarding counter-terrorism. During that exchange the nature of specific threats were discussed, but they did not discuss sources, methods or military operations."
National Security Advisor H.R. McMaster: "The story that came out tonight as reported is false. The president of the foreign minister reviewed a range of common threats to our two countries, including threats to civil aviation. At no time, at no time, where intelligent sources or methods discussed. The president did not disclose any military operations that were not already publicly known."
Deupty National Security Advisor Dina Powell: "This story is false. The president only discussed the common threats that both countries faced."
Michael Anton, WH/National Security Council spokesman "emphatically denies hat Pres Trump's tweets today confirm disclosure of classified material to Russia."
President Trump tweeted Tuesday morning defending himself from the Washington Post's report stating Trump revealed highly classified information to Russian Foreign Secretary Sergey Lavrov and Ambassador Sergey Kislyak in an Oval Office meeting last week.
Roughly 30 minutes earlier: The AP reported that a Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman denied reports that Trump shared classified information with the Kremlin's senior officials.
After the Washington Post posted its bombshell that President Trump "revealed highly classified ['code-word'] information to the Russian foreign minister and ambassador in a White House meeting last week," the White House issued a series of carefully worded denials — "playing word games," according to Greg Miller, one of the Post authors, along with Greg Jaffe.
Why it matters: Several national-security experts told me that lives could well be lost as a result of an ISIS mole hunt that's sure to follow. And a key ally (the name of the country was withheld by the Post at the White House's request, but it's apparently in the Middle East) may deny future intelligence as a result of the episode.
6:28PM: Triple statement issued from Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, National Security Advisor H.R. McMaster, and Deputy National Security Advisor Dina Powell includes broad denials but doesn't challenge report's claims that Trump discussed classified information from a sensitive source.
7:10PM: McMaster briefs reporters, reading from his previously issued statement and calling the Post's report "false." He denies that Trump revealed methods and sources, which is not what the report claimed, and takes no questions.
7:24PM: Chief strategist Steve Bannon and top communications officials Mike Dubke, Sarah Sanders, and Sean Spicer walk into cabinet room, per reporters on Twitter who then hear yelling from the meeting.
7:35PM: Sanders pops into the press room to say there will be no more statements coming from the White House tonight.
