Donald Trump is believed to have shared classified information pertaining to activities of ISIS, including some of their future plans, with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and Ambassador Sergey Kislyak during a meeting in the White House. The allegations come as a major embarrassment for the CIA, the NSA and other agencies entrusted with the national security of the United States.
What transpired in the meeting?
Washington Post claims that the visitors came to the White House and Donald Trump welcomed Sergei Lavrov and Ambassador Sergey Kislyak into the Oval Office.
In the meeting, he is believed to have veered off the script and mentioned about the terrorist threats that could emanate from the Islamic State through using laptop computers on flights.
This classified information was provided by a partner and was not supposed to be shared with others including Russia and if Donald Trump did take such a decision, it might result in problems to gain access to the inner workings of the ISIS. There are concerns that the exposure of the source could harm future prospects of laying hands on the plans of the Islamic State. That can be a stumbling block for the United States and its allies.
It is customary that before meetings with foreign leaders, the White House prepares necessary backup data to assist the president in having a meaningful interaction.
However, Donald Trump insists that he be given just a summary covering the salient points.
The after-effects
ISIS is a common enemy of both America and Russia and the highly classified information was furnished by one of the American allies. The disclosure, if it happened, could put into jeopardy this critical source of intelligence.
The information was restricted even within the government machinery.
It is a fact that both the United States and Russia have a common agenda to eliminate the ISIS and they do share information related to terror threats. However, when it comes to Syria, their agendas are diametrically opposite and conflicting because Moscow is extending support to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad by providing arms and men while the United States is opposed to the Assad regime and wants to dislodge it.
Donald Trump is a businessman at heart and knows the importance of guarding secrets because the success of any venture depends on how efficiently one gathers critical information and guards it. He would never usually part with such secrets or even think of sharing them. It is, therefore, strange if he did choose to share classified information about ISIS with the Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.
