INTELLIGENCE/LEAKS/RUSSIA/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “President Donald Trump took to Twitter on Tuesday [5-16-17] morning to defend himself over reports he shared counterterrorism intelligence obtained from a U.S. ally at an Oval Office meeting with senior Russian officials last week.
‘I have the absolute right’ as president to share ‘facts pertaining to terrorism and airline safety,’ Mr. Trump wrote on Twitter. ‘Humanitarian reasons, plus I want Russia to greatly step up their fight against ISIS & terrorism.’
Mr. Trump’s tweets were a departure from a hastily assembled White House response Monday night after the initial reports came out about what had happened in a meeting with the Russian foreign minister and ambassador.
National Security Adviser Lt. Gen. H.R. McMaster said Monday evening that an article in the Washington Post about Mr. Trump’s meeting ‘as reported is false.’
He also said that Mr. Trump hadn’t shared information about intelligence sources or methods. The Washington Post account didn’t say that Mr. Trump had revealed sources or methods.”
-Louise Radnofsky, “White House Presses Insurance-Market Woes in Health Fight,” The Wall Street Journal online, May 16, 2017 10:58am