Trump Jeopardized National Security By Meeting Putin In Secret Without An Interpreter

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Last updated on July 18th, 2023 at 11:24 am

President Trump jeopardized national security and violated protocol when he held a secret meeting with Putin and did not bring along an interpreter.

The formal national security adviser to Vice President Biden said that Trump committed a big no-no by not having his own interpreter present:

Not having a US translator is a big national security no-no & a huge advantage to Putin. You want someone on the US side to hear the Russian https://t.co/CfjTqFoo2U

— Colin Kahl (@ColinKahl) July 18, 2017

Donald Trump jeopardized national security by not having an interpreter with him.

The Atlantic recently profiled the role of presidential interpreters, and it is easy to see that Trump is hiding something, “Like anyone else in a sensitive meeting, an interpreter must have high security clearance. He or she will also have received all the same briefing books as the president. That’s essential so that the interpreter can understand the nuances of the information discussed and knows the vocabulary. But it also means that the interpreter can serve as a crutch for the president, catching minor factual errors or slips of the tongue.”

Julianne Smith pointed out that this is not normal:

I've helped two SecDefs and one VP manage "pull asides." Trump mtg Putin for an hour w/out staff and US translator is NOT a pull aside.

— Julianne Smith (@Julie_C_Smith) July 19, 2017

This is not the way that a president is supposed to behave to protect national security.

Michael McFaul wants to know if Trump met with other G-20 leaders, or was this a special meeting for Putin:

Did Trump meet at all with the leader of one of our most important allies and the host of the G-20 summit? Public or private? https://t.co/dskgzxR7Sl

— Michael McFaul (@McFaul) July 19, 2017

If Trump met with Putin alone, without an interpreter, that only adds more smoke to the growing Russia fire. Trump didn’t want a State Department policy expert listening to the conversation for a reason.

Donald Trump is hiding something, and his secret is jeopardizing national security.