PUTIN OFFERS TRANSCRIPT OF TRUMP’S MEETING WITH LAVROV
Russian President Vladimir Putin has offered to provide a transcript of a controversial Oval Office meeting between President Donald Trump and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, raising the stakes in an affair that has sent the White House into a tailspin.
Speaking at a press conference in Sochi, Russia, Putin said Moscow could send its records of the encounter — at which Trump is alleged to have shared top-secret intelligence with the Russian delegation —to the US Congress.
The intervention by Putin could turn up the pressure on the White House to provide its own transcript of the meeting. The Senate intelligence committee has already demanded a briefing on what was said at the meeting from members of the Trump administration who were present. The Trump administration has come under fire over the meeting with Lavrov and Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak last week. Trump has admitted sharing security information, saying he had the “absolute right” to do so. Putin denied that Trump had shared intelligence in the meeting, describing the media reports on the issue as “political schizophrenia.” “We are prepared to go there and explain our point of view to Congress if necessary,” he said. The Washington Post first reported the allegations on Monday, saying Trump had shared highly classified information. The Post reported that an official with knowledge of the meeting described Trump as saying: “I get great intel. I have people brief me on great intel every day,” just before revealing the intelligence. Two sources told CNN that the information was classified. According to the Post, Trump described details to Lavrov and Kislyak about how ISIS hopes to use laptop computers as bombs on planes.
The classified intelligence Trump was provided by Israel, a media report said on Wednesday. “The revelation adds a potential diplomatic complication to an episode that has renewed questions about how the White House handles sensitive intelligence,” The New York
Times said. The White House refused to comment on the report. “I cannot comment specifically on that,” White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer told reporters during an off- camera news conference. However, Israel came out in support of the White House.
“Israel has full confidence in our intelligence-sharing relationship with the United States and looks forward to deepening that relationship in the years ahead under President Trump,” Israeli Ambassador to the US said.