President Trump revealed British Prime Minister Theresa May was angry about leaks from the American intelligence community about the bombing in Manchester, England, that killed 22 and injured 59.
May and the British were so alarmed by a number of details making their way into the American press from intelligence sources last week that they cut off intelligence sharing at one point. While that sharing has continued, Trump said May is less than pleased.
“British Prime Minister May was very angry that the info the U.K. gave to U.S. about Manchester was leaked. Gave me full details!” Trump tweeted. He declined to share those details publicly.
British Prime Minister May was very angry that the info the U.K. gave to U.S. about Manchester was leaked. Gave me full details!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 28, 2017
The U.S. and British intelligence services often work very closely and the two militaries have had a close relationship for about a century following the world wars of the early 20th century.
However, the Manchester attack has strained those ties due to the amount of information leaking out of the American side of the relationship.
The British took the unusual step of cutting off information to the Americans a few days after the bombing at an Ariana Grande concert at the Manchester Arena. It was later restored that same day after Trump assured May the leaks would stop.
Trump has been waging a mostly-unsuccessful war on leaks since he was elected president. He’s complained that the intelligence community shares too much information with the press, saying anonymous sources shouldn’t be trusted. He also said Sunday he believes the press may be making up sources and quotes for their stories.
