According to a report by ABC News, former President Donald Trump is alleged to have shared sensitive information about U.S. nuclear submarines with an Australian businessman, Anthony Pratt. The alleged disclosure took place at Mar-a-Lago club in Florida, months after Trump left office. The information was reportedly relayed to multiple individuals, including journalists, company employees, Australian officials, and former Australian prime ministers.
During a conversation about Australia potentially buying submarines from the U.S., Trump is said to have provided detailed information about the number of nuclear warheads carried by the submarines and their ability to avoid detection by Russian submarines. It remains unclear if the information shared by Trump was accurate, and investigators have requested that Pratt not reveal the figures.
Special counsel Jack Smith, who is already investigating Trump’s handling of classified documents at Mar-a-Lago, is now reportedly looking into this incident through interviews with Pratt. However, legal experts believe it’s unlikely that Smith will add the submarine allegations to the existing charges against Trump due to the potential delay it could cause in the trial.
Currently, Trump is facing trial in Florida on 40 criminal counts, including willful retention of national defense information, conspiracy to obstruct justice, and false statements. He has pleaded not guilty to these charges. The trial is scheduled for May, but Trump’s attorneys have requested a delay until at least mid-November 2024.
Trump’s spokesperson, Steven Cheung, has denied any wrongdoing on Trump’s part and stated that the situation has been misunderstood. Cheung called for an investigation into the leaking of this information and criticized the Department of Justice for conducting baseless witch-hunts against Trump.
Democrats have criticized Trump’s actions, stating that if a Democrat had done something similar, Republicans would have accused them of treason. Representative Bill Pascrell Jr., a Democrat from New Jersey, expressed this sentiment, highlighting the double standard in the response to such actions.
Source: ABC News
