White House downplays Trump-Putin security breach

[Marisa Laudadio]

Russia’s President Vladimir Putin met with President Donald Trump at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Anchorage, Alaska. By: ZUMAPRESS.com / MEGA

On the morning of President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin’s Alaska summit to discuss ending the war in Ukraine, U.S. State Department papers were discovered on a public printer at a hotel near the military base where the leaders’ meeting took place. Despite the potentially sensitive nature of the documents — which were found by hotel guests — the White House attempted to minimize what many characterized as a security breach, Knewz.com can report.

What they found​

Eight pages of papers with State Department markings were found left behind in a hotel business center near the Alaska military base. By: ZUMAPRESS.com / MEGA

Around 9 a.m. the morning of the summit, three guests at the Hotel Captain Cook — a four-star hotel 20 minutes from the Trump-Putin summit at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Anchorage, Alaska — found eight pages of documents bearing State Department insignia on a printer. The papers contained specific information about meeting order, times and locations — including the names of the rooms inside the base where they would take place — as well as a seating chart, names of senior American and Russian officials in Alaska that day, phone numbers for three U.S. advance team members, a phonetic pronunciation guide for the names of the Russians at the summit, the menu for a scheduld but ultimately canceled luncheon to be hosted in Putin’s honor and other details, like a description of a ceremonial gift Trump would present to Putin — an American bald eagle desk statue. One of the hotel guests took photos of the documents and shared them with NPR, which reviewed and reported on the discovery and related concerns.

Trump administration responds​

The White House press office insisted no security breach took place. By: ZUMAPRESS.com / MEGA

White House Deputy Press Secretary Anna Kelly downplayed the discovery and said leaving papers on a public printer did not constitute a national security breach. “It’s hilarious that NPR is publishing a multi-page lunch menu and calling it a ‘security breach,'” Kelly told NewsNation. According to UCLA law professor Jon Michaels, who lectures about national security, the documents revealed a lapse in judgement. “It strikes me as further evidence of the sloppiness and the incompetence of the administration,” Michaels told NPR. “You just don’t leave things in printers. It’s that simple.”

The menu for Putin​

President Donald Trump’s delegation planned to host a three-course luncheon for Russia’s President Vladimir Putin. By: Orkun Orcan on Unsplash

The menu revealed that a three-course luncheon — which the papers declared was being held “in honor of his excellency Vladimir Putin, President of the Russian Federation” — was set to include a green salad with Champagne vinaigrette followed by a duet of filet mignon with brandy peppercorn sauce and halibut Olympia served with buttery whipped potatoes and roasted asparagus. Dessert was crème brûlée.

Seating details​

Cabinet secretaries Marco Rubio and Pete Hegseth were slated to sit next to President Donald Trump at a lunch honoring Russia’s President Vladimir Putin. By: Shawn Thew – Pool via CNP / MEGA

Trump and Putin were supposed to sit across from one another during the luncheon, according to the seating chart found on the hotel printer. Six U.S. officials would flank Trump: On his right would be Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth and White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles; on his left would be Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent, Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick and Special Envoy for Peace Missions Steve Witkoff. Next to Putin at the meal that didn’t happen: Russia’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Sergey Lavrov and Aide to the President for Foreign Policy Yuri Ushakov.

The post White House downplays Trump-Putin security breach appeared first on Knewz.

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