Langevin Statement on Reports of President Trump’s Disclosure of Highly-Classified Information

Washington, D.C. – Congressman Jim Langevin (D-RI), a senior member of the House Committees on Armed Services and Homeland Security, released the following statement regarding reports that President Trump shared highly classified information with Russian officials last week in the Oval Office:

“I am deeply disturbed by recent reports that President Trump discussed classified information with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Russian Ambassador to the U.S. Sergei Kislyak in the Oval Office last week.

“Our intelligence community relies on trust in order to protect the homeland and our interests abroad, and to carelessly disclose such information betrays our allies, our service members, and our intelligence officials. Not only could this jeopardize ongoing operations abroad, but it could also endanger our cooperation, goodwill, and security agreements with our critical U.S. allies. It is also highly troubling that this report comes on the heels of the dismissal of the FBI Director, which the President himself has tied to the ongoing investigation of his campaign’s collusion with Russia.

“While the President has the authority to declassify information he deems necessary, that privilege must be exercised thoughtfully and in furtherance of a broader national security strategy. In this case, however, he acted recklessly, and as with many national security decisions made by this President, it is clear that no such deliberation occurred. The information in question was deemed to be highly classified; what is no secret, however, is that President Trump continues to erode the trust of the American people and their confidence in the Presidency on a daily basis.”