The Mar-a-Lago member then allegedly shared the potentially sensitive information with dozens of other people, ABC News reports
A member of Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago beach club has reportedly told federal investigators that the former president blabbed to him about sensitive intelligence regarding U.S. nuclear submarine capabilities.
According to a report from ABC News, which spoke to sources familiar with the matter, the former president allegedly told Australian businessman Anthony Pratt exactly how many nuclear warheads U.S. submarines typically carry and described how close the watercraft could get to Russian enemy submarines before being detected. The conversation took place months after Trump had left office during a meeting at the Palm Beach estate. The former president reportedly told Pratt that Australia should begin purchasing submarines from the U.S.
Pratt reportedly went on to repeat the information to anyone who would listen. According to ABC News, Pratt related the discussion to at least 45 individuals, among them six journalists, three former Australian prime ministers, at least 10 Australian government officials, and nearly a dozen of his employees.
Pratt has reportedly been interviewed at least twice by investigators working for Special Counsel Jack Smith, who has brought charges against Trump related to his post-presidency retention of classified documents. Sources who spoke to ABC News said investigators had also interviewed a Mar-a-Lago employee who recounted Pratt repeating the information to another individual minutes after his meeting with Trump.
This is not the first time Smith’s office has looked to gather information on instances of Trump improperly distributing sensitive information to individuals unauthorized to receive it. In June, CNN obtained an audio recording of a meeting at Mar-a-Lago during which the former president seemingly shared classified information regarding a proposed military action against Iran with biographers for his former Chief of Staff Mark Meadows.
Trump has pleaded not guilty to the charges against him, and the Mar-a-Lago documents case is slated to go to trial in May 2024.
