Trump hosted Russia's US ambassador Sergey Kislyak and Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov at the White House on Wednesday.
The security slip-up that allowed a Russian state photographer to enter a private White House meeting between President Trump and top Kremlin officials was a "disturbing" lapse in protocol that could have been part of a secret spy operation led by Moscow.
The hosts also discussed news that Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein threatened to resign after the White House tried to pin Donald Trump's firing of James Comey on him.
The White House blocked United States reporters from photographing the meeting, opting to allow only White House and a sole Russian photographer to capture images of the leaders' interactions. The official White House readout of the meeting contains no mention of Kislyak.
Critics allege the decision had more to do with the investigation Comey was leading into whether members of Trump's campaign team colluded with Russian Federation in its interference in the 2016 election.
"After the meeting with Tillerson I was taken by a USA representative to the White House".
The Russian Embassy followed on Twitter with a photo of Trump smiling as he shook hands with Sergey Kislyak, Russia's ambassador in Washington.
Chief White House Advisor Bannon has stated in the past he is an admirer of Lenin, the founder of Russian Communism. Ambassadors often accompany visiting dignitaries to the White House. The State Department said that in their meeting, Tillerson told Lavrov that "sanctions on Russian Federation will remain in place until Moscow reverses the actions that triggered them".
Sean Spicer missing from briefings during key week for Trump
Spicer said earlier Friday that he occasionally struggles to huddle with Trump during the president's "very robust schedule". Mr Spicer took a leave of absence from the daily press briefings over the next couple of days for Navy Reserve duty.
Trump on Thursday blew up that narrative entirely when he told NBC News' Lester Holt that he had already made a decision to fire Comey "regardless of recommendation".
The White House later released its own pictures from the meeting, which did not feature Kislyak. "That's the problem with the Russians - they lie".
"The officials cited the danger that a listening device or other surveillance equipment could have been brought into the Oval Office while hidden in cameras or other electronics", writes the Post, referencing, among others, former deputy Central Intelligence Agency director David S. Cohen.
"I believe that it would be very unfair to hear from somebody who we don't even know and immediately run out and fire a general", he said.
If confirmed, it would be the two men's first meeting since Trump took power in January.
The United States is undoubtedly the most important player on the global stage, and whether he likes it or not, whatever Trump does is major news around the world, said Nicholas Rostow, who served as national security adviser to Presidents Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush.
Former CIA agents told the Times that the meeting amounts to a major security risk. "I think we're still waiting on the final conclusion of that investigation".
"I'm shaking my head at the incompetence of the Trump staff who are supposed to protect the integrity of the White House", he said.
Comments