At a photo op with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday, Donald Trump quieted the room to tell everyone that he “never mentioned” Israel in his meeting with Russian officials during which he shared classified intelligence.
Said Trump: “I never mentioned the word or the name Israel. Never mentioned during that conversation. They're all saying I did, so you have another story wrong. Never mentioned the word Israel.”
Trump is accused of disclosing the information during an Oval Office session with the Russian foreign minister and the Russian ambassador to the United States on May 10. The information centered on attempts by terrorist groups to load bombs into laptops in an attempt to blow up airliners.
The accusations, however, never suggested that Trump told his Russian visitors that the information came from Israel. Instead, the information Trump revealed is thought to have been so specific that its origin was clear.
Watch:
Pres. Trump says he never mentioned Israel supposedly in reference to Russia meeting after Netanyahu calls intel cooperation "terrific." pic.twitter.com/ssUpw5OT6C
— ABC News (@ABC) May 22, 2017