Trump Blasts People “Dumb Enough to Believe” He’d Act Inappropriately With a Foreign Leader

His tweets follow a report of a whistleblower’s claim that Trump made an alarming promise to a leader from abroad.

John Gibbins/ZUMA

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What did President Donald Trump promise a foreign leader?

That’s the question rattling Washington this morning after an explosive report late Wednesday in the Washington Post detailed a whistleblower’s claim that the president made an alarming offer to a yet-unknown foreign leader that prompted a US intelligence official to file a formal complaint with the inspector general.

The revelation isn’t exactly extraordinary for this president. Trump did, after all, kick off his presidency by disclosing highly classified information to the Russians while chatting in the Oval Office. Last month, he shared what appeared to be a sensitive satellite image on his Twitter account. In between, the president has repeatedly sidelined the intelligence community in favor of foreign interests.

But who’s keeping track? On Wednesday morning, Trump blasted “anybody dumb enough to believe” he’d make such disturbing commitments to a foreign leader. In denying the Post’s report, Trump appeared to assert that he would not have acted inappropriately while others were listening.

Meanwhile, in a closed-door briefing Thursday morning, Trump’s handpicked inspector general of the intelligence community, Michael Atkinson, refused to disclose to lawmakers information on the whistleblower’s complaint—a standoff that once again has Democrats demanding to know whether the administration is covering up on behalf of the president.

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BEFORE YOU CLICK AWAY!

“Lying.” “Disgusting.” “Scum.” “Slime.” “Corrupt.” “Enemy of the people.” Donald Trump has always made clear what he thinks of journalists. And it’s plain now that his administration intends to do everything it can to stop journalists from reporting things they don’t like—which is most things that are true.

No one gets to tell Mother Jones what to publish or not publish, because no one owns our fiercely independent newsroom. But that also means we need to directly raise the resources it takes to keep our journalism alive. There’s only one way for that to happen, and it’s readers like you stepping up. Please help with a donation today if you can—even a few bucks will make a real difference. A monthly gift would be incredible.

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