He also said there was nothing in the info that should not have been released.
No, that's not what McMaster said at all. He repeatedly pointed out that the President has the authority to share it and said it was wholly appropriate for him to do so. He never said he should have shared it or there was nothing in it that shouldn't be released.
McMaster, both yesterday and today, was very carefully parsing his words. Since the President is the ultimate authority on classified information, it is always "appropriate" for him to share info. Meaning there's nothing illegal or untoward about it.
From a logical standpoint and whether or not he SHOULD have released it is the story.
From the get go the spin was that the story was fake news. It wasn't. McMaster also did NOT deny, or in any way dispute, that the CIA and NSA were immediately informed or that officials had serious concerns that the information was shared.
Israel, who is potentially the source of the info (although they may be covering for Jordan or Jordan was the initial source) is pretty outraged. Why would they be outraged if this is a non-issue? Why are they literally so pissed that some Israeli politicians are implying that Trump should just cancel his visit? The Western Wall issue is one reason, but the Intel leaking to the Russians is another.
Russia's chief geopolitical ally in the Middle East is the mortal enemy of Israel. You think Russia didn't share the info with them?
If this was US developed Intel it still would have been a stupid thing to leak, but when you leak information from one of your top 3 allies -- something so sensitive you were asked not to share it with your OTHER allies, tell me how that was the right thing to do? It simply wasn't Trump's Intel to share, and it seriously damaged relationships with allies and made Trump look like even more of a buffoon.
Again, it would be wholly appropriate for Trump to wear a clown suit to meet heads of state -- he is the President and can wear what he wants -- but it doesn't mean he SHOULD do it.
If this Intel wasn't critically sensitive then why was it scrubbed from the main transcript of the meeting? It was OK to share it with two absolutely evil stooges from Russia, but not with the people that normally handle transcripts of meetings that almost always contain classified information? Here's a hint: because even THOSE people with extremely high TS/SCI clearances did NOT have the particular SCI (codeword) clearance for this piece of Intel.
I can't believe you are defending this. It has nothing to do with Hillary, Obama, the media, or anyone else. You said you'd hold Trump accountable when he makes a mistake. When?
I gave him credit for the Syria strike and the appointment of Gorsuch, but you seem to refuse to see any reason to criticize Trump. His own Party that has carried a lot of water for him is sick and tired of his self-inflicted controversies and scandals.
At some point and time Trump and his defenders have to stop blaming his staff and the media. The one common variable since Trump announced has been Trump himself.
You were an officer in the military, and you were around many fine leaders I'm sure. As a leader yourself, I'm sure you are familiar with some of the key traits and necessities that any leader must have and display. One such trait or necessity is being a person that takes ownership and owns their mistakes by taking responsibility. Have you seen ANY sign that Trump is capable of doing so?
Report after report has shown that morale in the WH is horrible. Staff feel like they are babysitting. There is zero leadership. That's not on Priebus, the DNC, or the media. The buck stops with Donald J. Trump.
