- The Washington Times - Thursday, May 25, 2017

Sen. James Lankford said Thursday that if necessary, he will have a private conversation with President Trump on the possible sharing of classified information with Russian officials.

“That’s how I typically run issues like that,” Mr. Lankford said on CNN.

But the Oklahoma Republican pushed back against the idea that Mr. Trump jeopardized U.S. relations with other intelligence agencies around the world amid reports that the United Kingdom and Israel are upset over the possible leaks.

“I would still say that we’re cooperating very intensely with the Israelis on a common threat. So whether there is someone angry in the process, I’m sure there is someone somewhere angry. There always is somewhere in the back-and-forth and push and pull,” he said. “On the whole, the two entities can cooperate together.”

Mr. Lankford also said he believes the president would be careful in sharing sensitive information and would have a purpose for breaching such topics.

“I try to be very, very careful with what I say and what I do. I assume the president would do the same,” he said. “The president, as any president would when they’re talking to a foreign leader, would be able to poke through some issues and say this is important we talk about and this is the reason why.”

• Sally Persons can be reached at spersons@washingtontimes.com.

Copyright © 2024 The Washington Times, LLC. Click here for reprint permission.

Please read our comment policy before commenting.

Click to Read More and View Comments

Click to Hide