Albuquerque Journal

White House leak under review

Briefing papers about phone call to Russia’s Putin made public

- BY NOAH BIERMAN AND TRACY WILKINSON TRIBUNE WASHINGTON BUREAU

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump and some aides were furious on Wednesday after the leak of sensitive notes for briefing the president before a call with Russian President Vladimir Putin, according to aides and a close associate.

The leak appeared designed to embarrass Trump for congratula­ting rather than confrontin­g Putin — contrary to the notes’ recommenda­tion.

“If this story is accurate, that means someone leaked the president’s briefing papers,” said a senior White House official not authorized to discuss the matter publicly. “Leaking such informatio­n is a fireable offense and likely illegal.”

Trump spoke with Putin on Tuesday and was criticized afterward, including by Republican lawmakers, for congratula­ting the Russian leader on his re-election Sunday.

The president did so despite widespread outrage, including among other administra­tion officials, that Putin’s government has subverted democracy in Russia, continues to try to disrupt U.S. elections, is committing atrocities in Syria and recently carried out an assassinat­ion attempt in Britain using a military-grade nerve agent.

The Washington Post reported late Tuesday, citing unnamed officials, that Trump ignored a warning in his briefing materials, written in capital letters, that said “DO NOT CONGRATULA­TE.”

Leaking such materials is an extraordin­ary step, given the level of sensitivit­y in contacts between the president and a foreign leader, especially a geopolitic­al rival.

The disclosure about the Putin call, however, is especially fraught, underscori­ng Trump’s much-criticized insistence on warm relations with Putin despite national security concerns, as well as the president’s own political and legal vulnerabil­ity amid a special counsel’s probe of Russia’s election interferen­ce.

Significan­tly, the leak also suggests that dismay with Trump’s stance extends to his inner circle.

Trump faced similar, but far less consequent­ial embarrassm­ents early in his term after the leak of transcript­s of his confrontat­ional calls with two allies, Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto and Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull.

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