Donald Trump’s comments about arrests near a British airbase prompted a stark warning from a UK political editor, who questioned on Monday whether allies can count on the president to keep sensitive information from reaching the wrong hands.
The international situation unfolded after five men were arrested near RAF Fairford on suspicion of preparing a terrorist act and committing explosives offenses. Before British authorities disclosed what the suspects had intended, Trump told reporters they had been under investigation “for a long time” and were looking to do “big damage” to the base, according to James Ball, political editor at The New World.
“We simply cannot trust that any vital national security intelligence that reaches the U.S. President won’t get into the wrong hands,” he warned in a new analysis.
Ball told readers that while the president went on to praise British police for the arrests, he disclosed details UK authorities were still withholding.
“UK authorities had not disclosed anything about the possible intentions of the suspects, nor about the duration of the operation, or even whether or not they believed the airbase was definitely an intended target,” Ball wrote.
He blasted Trump for his handling of sensitive information, calling him reckless and pointing to similar occasions.
“It is hardly out of character for Trump to run roughshod over such national security concerns, though,” Ball wrote. “Over his two terms, he has built up a consistent pattern of being utterly unable to keep his mouth shut when a chance to show off – or to make a threat – presents itself.”
Ball identified the immediate problem for Britain in the aftermath of Trump’s latest unexpected remarks.
“When the UK is trying to deal with what could be complex national security problems, not being able to rely on the discretion of the U.S. President is a major headache,” he concluded Monday.
He added that while Trump’s comments this time would “almost certainly prove to be harmless, next time, he warned, “we might not be so lucky.”