Trump allegedly disclosed US submarine secrets to Anthony Pratt: US media
October 5, 2023Save articles for later
Add articles to your saved list and come back to them any time.
Former US president Donald Trump allegedly disclosed classified information on US submarines to Australian packaging mogul Anthony Pratt in April 2021, according to a report published by America’s ABC News.
It’s alleged that Pratt relayed the information to “scores of others” including “more than a dozen foreign officials, several of his own employees, and a handful of journalists”, ABC News reported.
Anthony Pratt, then-Australian prime minister Scott Morrison and then-US president Donald Trump at a Pratt factory in Ohio in 2019.Credit: Alex Ellinghausen
Pratt, who runs packaging firm Pratt Industries, allegedly spoke to Trump during an April 2021 meeting, five months before the US, Australia and UK announced the formation of AUKUS, an extensive defence alliance under which Australia will buy US built nuclear-powered submarines.
The alleged disclosure was said to be reported to special counsel Jack Smith’s team as it investigates Trump’s storing of classified documents at his Florida home Mar-a-Lago, ABC US reported, citing “sources familiar with the matter”.
ABC US reported that prosecutors and FBI agents have interviewed Pratt, who is a member of Trump’s Mar-a-Lago club, at least twice.
“Pratt told Trump he believed Australia should start buying its submarines from the United States, to which an excited Trump – “leaning” toward Pratt as if to be discreet – then told Pratt two pieces of information about US submarines: the supposed exact number of nuclear warheads they routinely carry, and exactly how close they supposedly can get to a Russian submarine without being detected,” sources told ABC US.
Pratt then allegedly described Trump’s comments to “at least 45 others, including six journalists, 11 of his company’s employees, 10 Australian officials, and three former Australian prime ministers”, sources allegedly told ABC US News.
The alleged disclosure, if confirmed, sheds new light on the impact of Trump’s decision to remove classified documents from the White House after he left the presidency in 2021.
Comment has been sought from Pratt Industries.
A spokesperson for the special counsel’s office declined to comment on the report or confirm whether Pratt had been interviewed over the alleged disclosures.
Trump’s Mar-a-Lago home was raided by the FBI in August 2022, as they searched for documents the former president removed from the White House.
In June, the former president was charged on 37 criminal counts for mishandling classified documents – from secret information relating to nuclear programs to intelligence that should have only been shared with the “Five Eyes” countries, including Australia.
With Farrah Tomazin
More to come
Get a note directly from our foreign correspondents on what’s making headlines around the world. Sign up for the weekly What in the World newsletter here.
Most Viewed in World
From our partners
Source: Read Full Article
