President Donald Trump on Monday denied divulging Israel as the source behind highly classified intelligence he shared with Russian officials, as he attempted to push back against a damaging Washington Post report.
Citing current and former U.S. officials, the Post reported last week that Trump disclosed a sensitive Islamic State plot to the Russian foreign minister and ambassador during an Oval Office meeting earlier this month. Later reports pointed to Israel as the original source of the intelligence.
Trump, in Israel for the second leg of his first foreign trip as president, delivered brief remarks alongside Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The two then shook hands for the cameras as reporters shouted questions.
“The intelligence cooperation is terrific,” Netanyahu told reporters. Trump paused for a moment and halted the press from leaving the room. “Hey, folks,” he said. “Hey, folks. Folks. Folks.”
“Just so you understand, I never mentioned the word or the name ‘Israel.’ Never mentioned it during that conversation,” Trump said.
“They were all saying I did,” he added, looking toward Netanyahu as he gestured toward the press. “So you had another story wrong. Never mentioned the word ‘Israel.’”
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Trump: I never said 'Israel' in meeting with Russians https://t.co/GhX82JYA9X pic.twitter.com/sjsad2pL5O
— POLITICO (@politico) May 22, 2017
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