LISTEN: Unauthorized leaks are ‘frankly dangerous,’ Spicer says

White House press secretary Sean Spicer says unauthorized leaking of sensitive or classified information is “frankly dangerous,” after President Donald Trump reportedly shared classified information with two Russian diplomats during a meeting in the Oval Office.

Earlier this morning, national security adviser H.R. McMaster repeatedly said the president’s conversation last week with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Russian ambassador to the U.S. Sergey Kislyak was “wholly appropriate.”

McMaster did not directly address whether Trump revealed classified information about activities by the Islamic State group to the two Russians.

Spicer said the unauthorized leaks are a threat to U.S. national security.

He drew a distinction between leaks and Trump’s conversation with the Russians, saying the discussion with the Russian officials involved shared threats to the U.S. and Russia.

Trump himself defended the meeting in a pair of tweets, saying he shared the intel for “humanitarian reasons, plus I want Russia to greatly step up their fight against ISIS & terrorism.”

The president added that he has an “absolute right” to do this.

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