The White House is facing mounting pressure to disclose details of President Trump’s discussions with Russian President Vladimir Putin from this week’s summit in Helsinki.
The one-on-one meeting between the two leaders has been shrouded in controversy ever since Trump, standing beside Putin following the meeting, cast doubt on the U.S. intelligence community’s assessment of Russian interference in the election in favor of Putin’s own denials.
Trump administration officials have said little specifically about any agreements reached or proposals made during the meeting.
Instead, they’ve had to bat down queries about whether Trump was going to go along with a Putin plan to have Russian officials interview U.S. citizens, including former U.S. Ambassador to Russia Michael McFaul. Putin also floated the possibility of a referendum to determine whether Crimea would be part of Ukraine and Russia, an idea the administration did not immediately shoot down.
Trump’s closest advisers appear oblivious to what was actually discussed in the meeting with Putin — further fueling questions about what was discussed.
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Meanwhile, the Kremlin has been spinning its own narrative.
A Russian military spokesman said Tuesday that Moscow is ready to begin implementing agreements reached “in the sphere of international security.”
In Washington, it’s not entirely clear what those agreements might be — something that is a worry to lawmakers on Capitol Hill.
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is scheduled to testify Wednesday before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, where he is set for a grilling.
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Former officials note that the idea of a one-on-one meeting, while rare, is not unprecedented. Former President Ronald Reagan met with former Soviet Union leader Mikhail Gorbachev.
What is highly unusual, they say, is that top administration officials seem to have little knowledge about what was discussed.
Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats, who regularly briefs Trump on intelligence, admitted Thursday that he doesn’t know what happened in the meeting. He was also caught off guard during a live television interview on Thursday when NBC’s Andrea Mitchell informed him that Trump was inviting Putin to Washington for a second summit this fall.
Coats isn’t alone.
Gen. Joseph Votel, the top U.S. general in the Middle East, told reporters on Thursday that he had received “no specified direction” following the meeting.
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NEW: White House faces pressure to disclose what was discussed during private Trump-Putin meeting https://t.co/wv6bASuR9e pic.twitter.com/WaRJhPqKb0
— The Hill (@thehill) July 20, 2018
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