Leaks from bombing probe antagonize British officials

Associated Press

NEW YORK

The ongoing leaks of sensitive information that have been a hallmark of the Trump administration are antagonizing one of America’s closest allies, with officials in Britain incensed over details of the Manchester bombing investigation finding their way into the news.

The longstanding practice of allied countries sharing intelligence had already been threatened by reports that President Donald Trump disclosed classified material gathered by Israel to Russian officials in a recent Oval Office meeting. Now police in Manchester have stopped sharing with the U.S. details of their probe into Monday’s concert attack that killed 22 people without a guarantee that leaks will be plugged, one British official told The Associated Press.

Investigators were upset about photos published in The New York Times that showed crime-scene evidence and about the release of bombing suspect Salman Abedi’s name at a time British officials were still withholding it. British Prime Minister Theresa May said she planned to discuss leaks with Trump at the NATO summit in Brussels.

Trump said Thursday that the leaks were “deeply troubling” and pose a grave threat to national security. He called for a Justice Department investigation.

The president has complained bitterly about leaks that have revealed private communications with other foreign leaders and contacts that his first national-security adviser, Michael Flynn, had with the Russian ambassador.

Yet Trump’s administration is filled with people who privately reveal information to the press. Media reports of behind-the-scenes action and details about relations with Russia happen nearly every day.

“Sadly one of the chief culprits in leaking information has been the president himself, who may have injured our relationship with one of our other partners over his conversations with the Russians in the White House,” said Rep. Adam Schiff of California, the top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee. “So the White House can begin to take responsibility for a large part of the problem itself.”

The photos published in the Times showed the container that held the Manchester bomb and how it was concealed.

There were pictures of a switch likely held in the bomber’s hand, the shrapnel from the device and a battery used to power it.