This is wonderfully, excruciatingly funny:
Trump blurts out highly classified information to Russians, at a meeting where only Russian journalists are allowed to record what is happening.
His (nominally not Russian) aides go into overdrive and start bandaging the cuts with every possible band-aid/plaster they can find. National security adviser H.R. McMaster goes from one alibi to the next one at a good clip:
“The story that came out tonight as reported is false.”
...
“What I’m saying is really the premise of that article is false, that in any way the president had a conversation that was inappropriate or that resulted in any kind of lapse in national security.”
....
“In the context of that discussion, what the president discussed with the foreign minister was wholly appropriate to that conversation and is consistent with the routine sharing of information between the president and any leaders with whom he’s engaged.”
...
“I was in the room, the secretary of state was in the room, as you know, the deputy adviser for national security, Dina Powell, for strategy was in the room. And none of us felt in any way that that conversation was inappropriate.”
...
“The president wasn’t even aware, you know, where this information came from. He wasn’t briefed on the source or method of the information either.”
Mmm. And Trump seems to have decided to blurt out all that secret information which possibly puts a valuable "asset" at risk of -- oh, let's say liquidation -- because, why?
Why did he want to do that?
The Washington Post suggests one reason:
Trump did this on the spur of the moment
That is probably the kindest possible motive we could attribute to Trump: his never-ceasing narcissism.
And now he's meeting another wannabe patriarchal dictator, Turkey's Erdogan. Wonder what he will blurt out to Erdogan?
Then he will many more opportunities to blurt out classified material to impress other guys, while traipsing around the world meeting various adherents to the three Abrahamic Guy Religions, meeting head guys of those religions, such as the Pope Guy and later some Saudi Guys.
At least they all have one thing in common...