Ryan: Nothing classified was discussed at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago dinner

Published February 14, 2017 4:12pm ET



House Speaker Paul Ryan said President Trump did not discuss any classified information when he reacted to North Korea’s ballistic missile launch while in a public dining room at his Mar-a-Lago resort last weekend.

“It’s my understanding that no classified information was discussed and talking about foreign policy at the dinner table is perfectly appropriate,” Ryan, R-Wis., told reporters Tuesday.

News reports suggested Trump turned the club’s packed dining room into an “open-air situation room” after he was informed, while dining with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, that North Korea had carried out a ballistic missile test.

Ryan said “if classified information is discussed,” the conversations take place in “sensitive compartmented information facilities.”

“I don’t believe that any classified information was discussed,” Ryan said.