The meeting itself was remarkable before any disclosure occurred. Trump had fired Comey the previous day — an act he later told NBC that he had made while thinking about "this Russia thing." The day after, he met with the Russian foreign minister and the Russian ambassador in the Oval Office. American press was barred from the meeting. Russian state media photographers were allowed in — meaning the photographs of Trump laughing warmly with Russian officials were taken by Russian government photographers and distributed by the Russian government. It was a public relations gift to Moscow, delivered immediately after Comey's dismissal had made US-Russia relations the biggest political story in the country.
During the meeting, according to multiple officials who were present, Trump told Lavrov about an ISIS plot involving laptops on commercial aircraft. The intelligence was highly classified and had been shared by an allied intelligence service — later confirmed to be Israel — under strict conditions that the information not be shared with other countries, including Russia. The disclosure risked exposing not just the information but the sources and methods by which it was gathered. Intelligence agencies around the world recalibrate what they share with the US after events like this — they ask: if the president casually disclosed this to Russia in a meeting, what else might be disclosed?
National Security Advisor H.R. McMaster held a press conference and said Trump's disclosure was "wholly appropriate" because the president has the authority to declassify anything he chooses. This is legally true — presidents have broad declassification authority. What McMaster confirmed, in defending the disclosure, was that it had in fact occurred — validating the Washington Post's reporting. McMaster did not address whether Israel had been consulted. Israel was not consulted. Israeli intelligence officials, according to reporting by the Israeli newspaper Haaretz and others, were alarmed. The US-Israel intelligence sharing relationship, while not severed, was assessed to have been damaged.
This post distinguishes between documented facts, allegations, and analysis. Where motive, intent, corruption, or illegality remains disputed in the public record, the text attributes that judgment to court findings, official records, direct quotes, or the reporting linked below.
- Washington Post — "Trump revealed highly classified information to Russian foreign minister and ambassador," May 15, 2017; Sari Horwitz, Greg Miller, and Greg Jaffe reporting.
- McMaster press conference — May 15, 2017; confirmed disclosure, argued legality.
- Israel as source — confirmed by multiple outlets including New York Times, Haaretz, Reuters.
- Meeting format — Russian state media photographers present; American press excluded; documented by AP, Washington Post.