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Central Texas Members Of Congress Respond To Trump Sharing Classified Intel

Gage Skidmore/Flickr (CC BY-SA 2.0)

President Donald Trump reportedly leaked "highly classified" intelligence to Russian officials during a meeting in the Oval Office last week. While the administration initially discredited the story, which first appeared in The Washington Post, Trump appeared to confirm the reports in a series of tweets: 

While congressional Democrats have lambasted the president, Republicans – including those in the Texas delegation – have been cagey on responding to the incident. 

Here's a roundup of statements from Austin-area members of Congress. 

Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas)

Sen. Cruz told AtlanticLIVE he wanted to "understand the facts and circumstances of what was communicated" and not leap to conclusions.  

Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas)

KUT has reached out to Sen. Cornyn's office. We will update if we receive a response. 

Rep. John Carter (R-Round Rock)

KUT has reached out to Rep. Carter's office. We will update if we receive a response. 

Rep. Lloyd Doggett (D-Austin)
The Russians deserve sanctions, not secrets. All intelligence services agree Russia interfered in the last election. Meanwhile, President Trump continues to endanger our national security. His cavalier disclosure of highly classified secrets to the Russians in a jovial Oval Office meeting ensures that intelligence sources and allies will be less willing to share what they know going forward. What will it take to awaken those Republican Members who still remain silent, deep asleep in their partisan stupor?
Rep. Bill Flores (R-Bryan)

KUT has reached out to Rep. Flores' office. We will update if we receive a response. 

Rep. Michael McCaul (R-Austin)

KUT has reached out to Rep. McCaul's office. We will update if we receive a response. 

Rep. Lamar Smith (R-San Antonio)
The White House and National Security Council have denied the allegations about sharing classified intelligence and there is no evidence showing otherwise. As commander in chief, President Trump has the right to confer with global leaders in the fight against terrorism.
Rep. Roger Williams (R-Austin)

KUT has reached out to Rep. Williams' office. We will update if we receive have a response.