A conservative columnist criticized President Donald Trump for what she called a "horrendous error" regarding the classified information he shared with two Russian officials in the Oval Office.
The Washington Post's Jennifer Rubin argued Trump committed a blunder by saying during his visit to Israel Monday he never told the Russians Israel was the source of the intelligence he shared with them.
"Just so you understand, I never mentioned the word or the name Israel," Trump told reporters in Jerusalem, referencing the meeting he held with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak earlier this month.
Days after the meeting occurred, it was reported Trump revealed highly classified intelligence to the two Russians during that meeting. Israel was reportedly the source of the intelligence, although the White House never officially said that.
"By conveying his message in Israel, he obviously confirmed that the information came from Israel," Rubin wrote.
Rubin then proceeded to criticize Trump on several fronts.
"Was Trump 'exhausted,' as a briefer claimed yesterday in explaining why he muffed the phrase 'Islamic extremism' in his speech in Saudi Arabia? If so, we are reminded that a 70-year-old obese man with a horrible diet and refusal to exercise (except for a weekend of golf) may not have the wherewithal to make it through the rigors of the presidency," Rubin wrote.
"He was only a couple of days into the trip when, apparently, he couldn't spit out his lines correctly. The alternative explanation is that he is not, as he famously said, 'like, a smart person.' That realization should petrify both Americans and our allies and entice our enemies, who are probably convinced they can fool the hapless president again and again."
Rubin went on to call Trump's mention of Israel "so laughably horrible it left many observers shaking their heads."
"One can only hope National Security Adviser H.R. McMaster does not damage his reputation any further by trying to explain this horrendous error," Rubin concluded. "For once, Trump should have to clean up his own mess."
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