Political Scandals

McMaster Doubles Down On Defending Trump's Conversation With Russians

National security adviser H.R. McMaster spoke publicly about the articles claiming the president revealed classified information to Russian officials.

McMaster Doubles Down On Defending Trump's Conversation With Russians
Getty Images
SMS

The White House is still denying President Donald Trump revealed highly classified information to Russian officials during a closed-door meeting last week — well, kind of.

"The question is simply a yes or no question here: Did the president share classified information with the Russians in that meeting?" ABC's Jonathan Karl asked.

"We don't say what's classified, what's not classified. ... I wanted to make clear to everybody that the president in no way compromised any sources or methods in the course of this conversation," said national security adviser H.R. McMaster.

On Tuesday, U.S. national security adviser H.R. McMaster doubled down on his statements about a Washington Post report released Monday, where he called the story premise "false."

The report claims Trump shared a U.S. ally's closely guarded intelligence on ISIS with the Russian ambassador and the foreign minister. The ally reportedly hadn't given permission to share the intel.

McMaster told reporters everything discussed in that meeting was already publicly available. When pressed for details on what the topics were, he didn't really explain.

Trump Took Republicans' Usual Anti-Abortion Policy And Expanded It
Trump Took Republicans' Usual Anti-Abortion Policy And Expanded It

Trump Took Republicans' Usual Anti-Abortion Policy And Expanded It

The rule prevents U.S. funding from going to foreign health providers if they perform or promote abortions.

LEARN MORE

"In terms of the specifics, I can't, I can't — I have no basis for comparison on what was shared with what country," McMaster said.

Then a reporter asked if there's any concern about Trump disclosing information to other foreign leaders during his upcoming trip abroad. McMaster said no.

"The president wasn't even aware of where this information came from," McMaster said. "He wasn't briefed on the method or source of information."