What national secrets did Trump share with an Australian billionaire at Mar-a-Lago?
Already indicted for withholding classified documents after leaving office, Trump reportedly also shared secrets about US nuclear subs with a foreigner.
New information has come to light about Donald Trump and his handling of sensitive national secrets after leaving office. He reportedly shared sensitive information about US nuclear submarines with an Australian billionaire at Mar-a-Lago according to reporting from ABC.
The team working for Special Counsel Jack Smith, who has already indicted Trump on 40 felony counts related to his withholding classified documents after leaving the White House at his Mar-a-Lago resort, has investigated the episode.
The incident happened in 2021, months after Trump had left office. Anthony Pratt, who joined the Florida beach club shortly after Trump became president, told investigators that he later shared the information with scores of other individuals.
What national secrets did Trump share with an Australian billionaire at Mar-a-Lago?
Pratt has been interviewed at least twice by prosecutors and the FBI to whom he told that while attempting to make conversation with Trump he brought up the topic of the US submarine fleet. The two had discussed the topic previously according to the report.
The Australian, who runs US-based Pratt Industries, one of the world’s largest packaging companies, mentioned to Trump that Australia should buy US nuclear submarines. Australia had already signed a deal with France in 2016 to supply the nation with diesel powered submarines.
An “excited” Trump leaned toward Pratt and told the businessman two potentially sensitive pieces of information about US nuclear submarines. Allegedly he shared the supposed exact number of nuclear warheads the vessels typically carry onboard as well as the supposed exact distance US nuclear subs can get within a Russian submarine without being detected.
The Australian billionaire shared with others the national secrets he learned from Trump
A former employee at Mar-a-Lago told investigators that they overheard Pratt sharing the sensitive information revealed, much to their dismay, shortly after the conversation between Trump and Pratt, which took place in April 2021,
Reportedly, Pratt went on to tell at least 45 other people, including company employees, journalists and Australian government officials as well as three former prime ministers. He did so to show that he was advocating for Australia. Some of those with whom Pratt discussed the sensitive information were involved in the negotiations to purchase US nuclear submarines that were ongoing at the time.
Whether the numbers that Trump shared were real or braggadocio investigators told Pratt not to repeat the numbers he was told. The Australian has told investigators that Trump never showed him any government documents at any of the times the two crossed paths at Mar-a-Lago.