Senators offered sharp reactions to reports that President
Trump disclosed highly classified material to
Russian officials during a recent meeting at the White House, calling
the president's action, if true, "terrifying," "reckless" and "deeply
disturbing"
The Washington Post
reported the disclosure late Monday just as senators were arriving for an evening vote, and many shared the information as it was unfolding.
"This
conduct by the president is not only dangerous, it's reckless," said
Sen. Richard J. Durbin (D-Ill.), the assistant minority leader.
"That
disclosure may not only jeopardize our troops and our people, but the
security of those who risk their lives to tell us what is actually
happening," Durbin said. "I hope that members of the president's own
political party will step up at least in this instance and make it clear
that this reckless conduct jeopardizes our national security."
"If true, deeply disturbing," tweeted Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.).
Bob Corker, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, told reporters he was concerned by the report.
"To
compromise a source is something that you just don't do," he said.
"That's why we keep the information that we get from intelligence
sources so close, is to prevent that from happening."
Corker
added, "Obviously they're in a downward spiral right now and they've got
to figure out a way to come to grips w all that's happening."
Some
Republicans declined to comment, saying they had yet to read the
report. The Washington Post said Trump bragged about the quality of U.S.
intelligence during a meeting last week with Russian Foreign Minister
Sergei Lavrov and Ambassador Sergey Kislyak at the White House.
The
Russians met the president the day after
Trump fired FBI Director James B. Comey amid
the ongoing U.S. investigation into the Trump campaign's possible links
to Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election.
Trump
reportedly discussed certain details with the Russians regarding an
Islamic State threat involving laptops on aircraft, a disclosure that
would have been illegal by lower-ranking U.S. officials.
Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) said: "If it's true, it'd be troubling."
"I'm not going to speculate," said Graham. "I'm tired of speculating about Trump every five minutes."
Sen.
Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) said colleagues chatting on the chamber
floor as news broke were either "astonished or appalled."
Even though the president's actions may not be illegal, he said that "no one is above the rule of law in this country."
"It
is absolutely terrifying," Blumenthal said. "It’s another example of
the free press uncovering stuff that the American people should know
that hopefully will cause an outcry and outrage that will have some
cumulative effect in protecting our democracy."
Lisa Mascaro
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