Donald Trump Reportedly Relayed Highly Classified Information to Russian Officials During White House Visit

Where’s the “This Is Fine” meme when you need it?

Donald Trump speaks at a rally in Kentucky.
USA Today Sports

Image via USA TODAY Sports/Courier-Journal

Donald Trump speaks at a rally in Kentucky.

The New York Times, Washington Post, and Reuters have confirmed that Donald Trump revealed highly classified information to Russian foreign minister Sergey Lavrov and ambassador Sergey Kislyak during their visit to the White House last week. When seeking out the accuracy of initial reports, Buzzfeed News was told by one U.S. official, who was briefed on Trump's disclosures, that “it’s far worse than what has already been reported.”

U.S. National Security Advisor H.R. McMaster and U.S. Deputy National Security Advisor for Strategy Dina Powell have denied these reports in their respective statements. 

U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson claims that a number of matters were discussed between Trump and the Russian officials; however, he says that "sources, methods or military operations" weren't on the agenda. 

After firing FBI director James Comey last week because he was "not able to effectively lead the Bureau," Trump conducted an interview with NBC News' Lester Holt in an attempt to dismiss concerns that his decision was due in part to Comey's ongoing investigation into possible collusion between his presidential campaign and Russian operatives. “This Russia thing with Trump is a made up story, it’s an excuse by the Democrats for having lost an election they should have won," Trump told Holt. 

While Trump may believe that his interview with Holt effectively expelled any worries about collusion, photos of The Donald giving his best (and biggest) Crest smile in the presence of Russia's foreign minister and ambassador while in the Oval Office last week didn't help out matters because, well, optics. Now, this latest information should only create growing concern among those individuals who believe that we as a nation shouldn't closely align ourselves with a country determined to expose the faults in democracy

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