TO HONOR FALLEN LAW-ENFORCEMENT OFFICERS
by Sharon Rondeau
(May 15, 201&) — During the furor which raged several hours after a story in The Washington Post went viral stating that President Donald Trump had divulged classified information to two Russian diplomats last Wednesday, Trump tweeted a photo of the White House lit up in blue in honor of fallen police officers and other peace officers, recognizing National Peace Officers Memorial Day.
Trump and Vice President Mike Pence spoke at a ceremony earlier today, and Trump signed a proclamation recognizing this week as National Police Week.
He campaigned on a platform of restoring “law and order” to America’s towns, cities, and streets in the wake of a sharp increase in targeted police killings by civilians.
After a brief statement by Trump’s national security advisor, H.R. McMaster, at approximately 7:05 PM EDT in which he denied The Post’s story, the White House said it would not take questions or further address the report this evening.
After multiple media outlets published reports based on The Post’s, new hashtags trended on Twitter under “#McMaster” and “Russians,” among others.
While some in the media appeared to amplify the story, others pushed back, criticizing The Post’s use of anonymous sources, an item McMaster mentioned in his address to the public.
Less than a month into Trump’s administration, a story at The New York Post posited that Trump opponents, led by Barack Hussein Obama, are seeking to destroy Trump’s presidency because of the threat he poses to the “Deep State.”
The Los Angeles Times and other left-leaning media highlighted statements expressing concern made by both Democrats and Republicans in Congress, including Speaker of the House Paul Ryan, who demanded an immediate explanation from the White House.
Whether or not The Post’s article is accurate remains to be seen. The outlet is easily distinguished as not unbiased in its coverage.
While the article in question quoted an unnamed “official with knowledge of” Trump’s alleged remarks to the Russians, McMaster said that he, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, and one other State Department official, Dina Powell, were the only people in the room with Trump, the Russian foreign minster and Russian ambassador.
The Post’s story said that the two Russians “were also accompanied by aides,” although none were shown in the photographs of the meeting.
Today’s White House proclamation states that the week recognizing fallen law enforcers began with a joint congressional resolution passed in 1962 followed by a law passed by the 103rd Congress.
First Lady Melania Trump also tweeted a photo of the White House lit in blue and her appreciation for law enforcers.
