The top two members of the Senate Intelligence Committee said Tuesday they will proceed cautiously as they investigate Monday’s report that President Trump divulged classified intelligence to members of the Russian government.
“This… was reported yesterday. There’s been quite a flurry,” said ranking Democrat Mark Warner of Virginia. “Trying to go the extra mile, we owe the White House a chance to present us with the information, present us with the truth. We want to know from people in the room, but we also want to see if there are, again, these supposed transcripts, that we get a copy of them.”
“I would prefer to have a conversation with an individual that was in the room about what actually was said and then we can legitimately comment whether we have concerns about what was said,” Chairman Richard Burr, R-N.C. added later.
On Monday, the Washington Post reported accounts of the Oval Office meeting in which the intelligence information was allegedly shared. But members of the Trump administration have denied portions of the report, saying that the conversation was “wholly appropriate.”
Burr also said he was worried about leaks to the news media on stories involving classified information.
“I think there’s a national security risk anytime anything about the intelligence community is reported publicly, and leaks are a definite concern that we have of this administration,” Burr said.
The pair indicated they were hopeful they would be in contact with the White House before the end of the day.
Warner and Burr answered questions from the media after leaving a scheduled meeting of the Senate Intelligence Committee, which has been investigating Russia’s influence in the 2016 elections for months.
