Donald Trump, who has a voracious appetite for cable news and media chatter, is clearly aware of the scandal surrounding his White House, his up-until-last-night National Security Advisor, and Vladimir Putin’s Russian government. The president himself hasn’t much to say about the matter specifically, however, and Trump called on conservative media figures at recent press conferences in order to avoid awkward questions.With that in mind, the president’s tweet this morning raised a few eyebrows.
“The real story here is why are there so many illegal leaks coming out of Washington? Will these leaks be happening as I deal on N.Korea etc?”
This may actually be the best line he can come up with, so let’s unpack it a bit.First, up until quite recently, Trump loved illegal leaks related to Hillary Clinton and the DNC, and blamed Democrats for not taking better care of their secrets. Were it not for illegal leaks, the president would almost certainly not be in the White House today.Second, we’re not entirely dependent on leaks in this scandal. Michael Flynn acknowledged, in writing, that the information he shared with his colleagues was not exactly true. That and the related scandal is “the real story,” whether Trump likes it or not.And finally, the president wants to know if there will be additional leaks as he deals with North Korea. I can’t say for sure, of course, but it’s a distinct possibility: Trump responded to North Korea’s ballistic missile launch by holding an impromptu meeting, at an outdoor terrace, surrounded by civilians, while reading sensitive materials by cell-phone light.Maybe it’s a little late in the game for Trump to raise concerns about North Korea-related leaks?Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) responded to the president’s carelessness by saying, “I would suggest that the president get a briefing on the handling of classified information.”Given Trump’s apparent concerns about leaks, that sounds like very good advice.
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Steve Benen is a producer for "The Rachel Maddow Show," the editor of MaddowBlog and an MS NOW political contributor. He's also the bestselling author of "Ministry of Truth: Democracy, Reality, and the Republicans' War on the Recent Past."