Trump revealed classified information to Russian foreign minister and ambassador

[Hindsight was 2020]

Lock him up

[kyc0705]

Donald Trump is bad with intelligence. Take that however you will.

[The_Doctor]

Secondly, while very dubious, how do we know the White House didn't intentionally share the information to fight ISIS? Trump has said on the campaign trail he wants to share information with Russia to fight ISIS. While I think that's very stupid, isn't this necessarily plausible that the National Security Council discussed and signed off?

But the problem is, Trump's behavior has been so reckless and idiotic that it actually seems more plausible that he just shared it out of sheer stupidity or maybe even some ridiculous urge to impress. He's a very superficial man, and his behavioral weaknesses are well-known.

I don't think he deserves the benefit of the doubt, but maybe that's just me.

I agree which makes it hard to judge if this is a genuine scoop or information by slanted  people he ticked off with his incompetence as a person and President.

Secondly, while very dubious, how do we know the White House didn't intentionally share the information to fight ISIS? Trump has said on the campaign trail he wants to share information with Russia to fight ISIS. While I think that's very stupid, isn't this necessarily plausible that the National Security Council discussed and signed off?

I'm just saying, I want to see more before we all say "Trump's a moron" (Well he is) for the 1000th time. Maybe I'm just burned by Mensch and all the Russian stuff and trying to dig through all the articles.

This is the Washington Post, not Louise Mensch. We're not talking about poorly photo copied fakes here. This story got thoroughly vetted and reviewed, to be sure.

Agreed but do we know anything about the intelligence why Russia wasn't supposed to have it? I don't distrust the Post, but I want to know the angle of the sources.

It's way too easy for Trumpy to deny this or say he exchanged information lawfully after the NSC signed off on it and we don't necessarily have information to rebut it.

Secondly, while very dubious, how do we know the White House didn't intentionally share the information to fight ISIS? Trump has said on the campaign trail he wants to share information with Russia to fight ISIS. While I think that's very stupid, isn't this necessarily plausible that the National Security Council discussed and signed off?

I'm just saying, I want to see more before we all say "Trump's a moron" (Well he is) for the 1000th time. Maybe I'm just burned by Mensch and all the Russian stuff and trying to dig through all the articles.

     It's always good to ask questions. Maybe Trump committed some horrible offense by doing this, but an article and a chorus don't prove that. Playing Devil's Advocate and probing at weak points in the argument is important.

Right. I'd like to be on solid ground when I attack Trump. I believed the Comey story given the background and what I knew. I don't know anything about this background.

[Absentee Voting Ghost of Ruin]

Secondly, while very dubious, how do we know the White House didn't intentionally share the information to fight ISIS? Trump has said on the campaign trail he wants to share information with Russia to fight ISIS. While I think that's very stupid, isn't this necessarily plausible that the National Security Council discussed and signed off?

But the problem is, Trump's behavior has been so reckless and idiotic that it actually seems more plausible that he just shared it out of sheer stupidity or maybe even some ridiculous urge to impress. He's a very superficial man, and his behavioral weaknesses are well-known.

That is just what his voters wanted though.

I mean, this is stupid, yes. And damaging to US intelligence efforts, yes. (Sources are going to dry up as a result of this.)  Possibly even treasonous. But I have a hard time getting too worked up over it. Because while it's doubtless idiotic and awful, it's the exact kind of idiotic awful that his voters wanted.

But, if it gets even one more of the anti-American Quislings in the GOP to support a special prosecutor or impeachment, I guess that's something positive to come out of it.

[The_Doctor]

Also I am baffled that he would do this in a meeting he knows that is widely monitored. This is with the Russians. Is this man that incompetent truly?

[kyc0705]

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I know that feeling.

[TheSaint250]

Bad. Stupid. Wrong. Not illegal or impeachable, however.

Yeah, it really sounds like this was just a stupid bragging thing, not fulfilling Democrats' dreams of catching him "colluding" with the Russians.

[Brittain33]

Bad. Stupid. Wrong. Not illegal or impeachable, however.

This is impeachable.

[TheSaint250]

Bad. Stupid. Wrong. Not illegal or impeachable, however.

This is impeachable.

From WaPo: "For almost anyone in government, discussing such matters with an adversary would be illegal. As president, Trump has broad authority to declassify government secrets, making it unlikely that his disclosures broke the law."

[The_Doctor]

Bad. Stupid. Wrong. Not illegal or impeachable, however.

This is impeachable.

Agreed if true. But Corker being ticked off is a bad sign indicating that yup Trump has screwed up.

[kyc0705]

Bob Corker is pissed:

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Bob Corker can say whatever the hell he wants. Talk is cheap. Actions, however, are more valuable.

[Suburbia]

Bad. He's idiotic for doing this. However, Hillary Clinton had similar problems, okay? The 2016 election was not a good election.

[Absentee Voting Ghost of Ruin]

Also I am baffled that he would do this in a meeting he knows that is widely monitored. This is with the Russians. Is this man that incompetent truly?

This far along, and you're still asking this?

Yes, he's that incompetent. He was probably trying to impress them. ("Hey guys, I know the secret stuff!") We'll be lucky if he didn't hand them spy satellite pics of Scarlett Johansson (inadvertently revealing the exact capabilities of our spy satellites).

I know it's really frightening to acknowledge we have a President whose strategic acumen and critical thinking is on par with that of goldfish and bullfrogs, but that's the way it is

[Brittain33]

Bad. Stupid. Wrong. Not illegal or impeachable, however.

This is impeachable.

From WaPo: "For almost anyone in government, discussing such matters with an adversary would be illegal. As president, Trump has broad authority to declassify government secrets, making it unlikely that his disclosures broke the law."

That covers "illegal." This behavior is clearly impeachable.

[Virginiá]

Interesting how calm and forgiving Republicans are when one of their guys is in the White House?

[Brittain33]

Bad. He's idiotic for doing this. However, Hillary Clinton had similar problems, okay? The 2016 election was not a good election.

This is the first non-ironic use of "but her emails" I have seen this afternoon. I've seen a LOT of the other kind.

[#TheShadowyAbyss]

But guys just remember HER E-MAILS

[TheSaint250]

Bad. Stupid. Wrong. Not illegal or impeachable, however.

This is impeachable.

From WaPo: "For almost anyone in government, discussing such matters with an adversary would be illegal. As president, Trump has broad authority to declassify government secrets, making it unlikely that his disclosures broke the law."

That covers "illegal." This behavior is clearly impeachable.

Once again: "As president, Trump has broad authority to declassify government secrets, making it unlikely that his disclosures broke the law."

Again: I'm not defending his actions. I'm just saying they are not worthy of impeachment from what we know now.

[TheSaint250]

Interesting how calm and forgiving Republicans are when one of their guys is in the White House?

omg we all just said this was stupid and wrong

[Absentee Voting Ghost of Ruin]

Bad. Stupid. Wrong. Not illegal or impeachable, however.

Yeah, it really sounds like this was just a stupid bragging thing, not fulfilling Democrats' dreams of catching him "colluding" with the Russians.

It can't really be illegal, unless there's a law on the books specifically preventing the President from sharing certain classes of information with certain groups.

But impeachable is whatever Congress wants to impeach him over. If this is it, I'd only say "about time".

[The_Doctor]

Bad. Stupid. Wrong. Not illegal or impeachable, however.

This is impeachable.

From WaPo: "For almost anyone in government, discussing such matters with an adversary would be illegal. As president, Trump has broad authority to declassify government secrets, making it unlikely that his disclosures broke the law."

That covers "illegal." This behavior is clearly impeachable.

Once again: "As president, Trump has broad authority to declassify government secrets, making it unlikely that his disclosures broke the law."

Again: I'm not defending his actions. I'm just saying they are not worthy of impeachment from what we know now.

If it is true it's a grave breach of national security. Congress can deem anything it wants as impeachable.

[Brittain33]

Bad. Stupid. Wrong. Not illegal or impeachable, however.

This is impeachable.

From WaPo: "For almost anyone in government, discussing such matters with an adversary would be illegal. As president, Trump has broad authority to declassify government secrets, making it unlikely that his disclosures broke the law."

That covers "illegal." This behavior is clearly impeachable.

Once again: "As president, Trump has broad authority to declassify government secrets, making it unlikely that his disclosures broke the law."

Again: I'm not defending his actions. I'm just saying they are not worthy of impeachment from what we know now.

What are the rules governing what someone is allowed to impeach for or not?

Everything you have discussed concerns legality. Impeachment is a constitutional process, not a legal one.

[TheSaint250]

Surprised that CNN and a few other news agencies aren't covering this.

[#TheShadowyAbyss]

Surprised that CNN and a few other news agencies aren't covering this.

CNN is like right now

[Technocracy Timmy]

Interesting how calm and forgiving Republicans are when one of their guys is in the White House?

omg we all just said this was stupid and wrong

Let's see if Republican congressman actually do anything about it. Not say, but do.