May 16, 2017

Trump Defends “Absolute Right” to Share Information With Russian Officials

The president deviates from the White House’s narrative—again.

Shcherbak Alexander/TASS/ZUMA

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Following a Washington Post report that President Donald Trump revealed highly classified information to Russian diplomats last week, Trump on Tuesday justified his “absolute right” to share information with Russian officials for “humanitarian” causes. In a pair of tweets, Trump appeared to confirm at least some elements of the explosive allegations.

Trump’s defense is a reversal of the administration’s initial denial: When the report was published on Monday, national security adviser H.R. McMaster refuted it as “false” and denied the president discussed “intelligence sources or methods” with the Russian ambassador and foreign minister. However, the Washington Post story never alleged exactly that. The report, which was later backed by independent reporting from the New York Times and BuzzFeed, cited several government sources claiming Trump revealed highly sensitive information that could potentially jeopardize an important intelligence-sharing partner.

On Tuesday, a spokeswoman for the Russian foreign ministry also denied that Trump had disclosed sensitive material during the Oval Office meeting, which was closed to American media but photographed by the Russian press.

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WHO DOESN’T LOVE A POSITIVE STORY—OR TWO?

“Great journalism really does make a difference in this world: it can even save kids.”

That’s what a civil rights lawyer wrote to Julia Lurie, the day after her major investigation into a psychiatric hospital chain that uses foster children as “cash cows” published, letting her know he was using her findings that same day in a hearing to keep a child out of one of the facilities we investigated.

That’s awesome. As is the fact that Julia, who spent a full year reporting this challenging story, promptly heard from a Senate committee that will use her work in their own investigation of Universal Health Services. There’s no doubt her revelations will continue to have a big impact in the months and years to come.

Like another story about Mother Jones’ real-world impact.

This one, a multiyear investigation, published in 2021, exposed conditions in sugar work camps in the Dominican Republic owned by Central Romana—the conglomerate behind brands like C&H and Domino, whose product ends up in our Hershey bars and other sweets. A year ago, the Biden administration banned sugar imports from Central Romana. And just recently, we learned of a previously undisclosed investigation from the Department of Homeland Security, looking into working conditions at Central Romana. How big of a deal is this?

“This could be the first time a corporation would be held criminally liable for forced labor in their own supply chains,” according to a retired special agent we talked to.

Wow.

And it is only because Mother Jones is funded primarily by donations from readers that we can mount ambitious, yearlong—or more—investigations like these two stories that are making waves.

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