Reports: President Trump Shared Highly Classified Intelligence With Russia -- News Updates May 16, 2017

Daily Mail: McMaster says Trump's intelligence sharing with Russia was 'wholly appropriate' – but admits the president 'wasn't even aware' of where the information came from

* President Trump tweeted Tuesday morning that he did relay information to Russian officials last week, because he wanted Russia to step up and help more in the fight against ISIS
* National Security Adviser H. R. McMaster was sent out by the White House to publicly deny the Washington Post's report Monday night
* He came out again on Tuesday morning to spin the president's conversations with the Russians as 'wholly appropriate'
* The Post reported that President Trump shared highly classified information with Russian foreign minister Sergey Lavrov during an Oval Office meeting last week
* The paper reported that the information came from a U.S. ally through an intelligence-sharing network and pertained to ISIS plot to down airplanes using laptop computers
* Trump 'revealed more information to the Russian ambassador than we have shared with our own allies'
* 'This story is false. The president only discussed the common threats that both countries faced,' said Deputy National Security Advisor Dina Powell as well

The president's national security advisor says Donald Trump's information sharing with the Russians was 'wholly appropriately' and it did not harm national security.

He would not say from the White House podium whether the information that Trump gave the Russians was classified at the time and revealed as he left that the president 'wasn't even aware' of where the information came from.

'What we don't do is discuss what is and what wasn't classified,' he said. 'What I will tell you that in the context of that discussion, what the president discussed with the foreign minister was wholly appropriate with that conversation and is consistent with the routine sharing of information between the president and any leaders with whom he's engaged.'

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More News On Reports That President Trump Shared Highly Classified Intel With The Russians

Donald Trump 'shared highly classified information with Russian officials' -- The Guardian
Trump revealed classified info to Russian officials, Washington Post reports -- DW
Donald Trump revealed highly classified information to Russia during White House meeting, Washington Post says -- ABC News Online
Trump Revealed Highly Classified Intelligence to Russia, in Break With Ally, Officials Say -- New York Times
Trump revealed intelligence secrets to Russians in Oval Office: officials -- Reuters
Report: Trump shared secret info about IS with Russians -- AP
Sources: Trump shared classified info with Russians -- CNN
Donald Trump 'shared highly classified information with Russian officials' -- The Guardian
Trump revealed classified info to Russian officials, Washington Post reports -- DW
Donald Trump 'revealed highly classified information' to Russian officials in Oval Office -- The Independent
Reports: Trump Gave Classified Info To Russians During White House Visit -- NPR
Trump 'shared classified information with Russia' -- BBC

More News On President Trump And White House Reaction To Reports That President Trump Shared Highly Classified Intel With The Russians

McMaster Says Trump Disclosure to Russians Was ‘Appropriate’ -- Bloomberg
National Security Adviser McMaster: Trump’s Revelations to Russians ‘Wholly Appropriate’ -- NBC
Trump claims ‘absolute right’ to share info with Russia -- AP
Trump defends his 'absolute right' to share information with Russians -- Reuters
White House pushes back against report Trump shared classified info with Russians -- Politico
Trump: I shared information with Russia and I had 'absolute right' to do so -- The Guardian
Trump defends intelligence sharing, but Russian media call report 'fake' news -- DW
Trump defends 'absolute right' to share 'facts' with Russia -- BBC
Trump says he has 'absolute right' to share information with Russia -- UPI
Donald Trump defends sharing information, says he wants Russia to 'step up fight' -- ABC News Online
Donald Trump confirms sharing intelligence with Russia -- Al Jazeera
Trump: I have 'absolute right' to share facts with Russia -- The Hill

More News On Russian Reaction To Reports That President Trump Shared Highly Classified Intel With The Russians

Kremlin says media reports Trump shared secret information with Lavrov are nonsense -- TASS
Moscow dismisses reports Trump revealed secret information to Russia as political pressure -- TASS
Kremlin Dismisses Media Claims on Trump Allegedly Passing Secret Info to Lavrov -- Sputnik
Russia's response to Trump leak reports: don't read U.S. newspapers -- Reuters
Trump says he had ‘absolute right’ to share data on flight safety & terrorism with Russia -- RT
Lavrov briefed Putin on his meeting with Trump -- TASS