Story highlights
NEW: Intelligence sharing resumes between US, UK after Trump, May meeting
Trump attended NATO meetings Thursday
Intelligence sharing between the US and the UK resumed Thursday shortly after British Prime Minister Theresa May met with her US counterpart President Donald Trump.
It came after a series of high-profile leaks to US media of details surrounding the Manchester bombing investigation, which were blamed on US government officials.
The breakdown of trust between the two countries briefly led to the suspension on the sharing of intelligence Thursday. An incensed May confronted Trump about the leaks during their meeting at the NATO headquarters in Brussels.
In a written statement, President Trump described the leaks as “deeply troubling.”
“These leaks have been going on for a long time and my administration will get to the bottom of this. The leaks of sensitive information pose a grave threat to our national security. I am asking the Department of Justice and other relevant agencies to launch a complete review of this matter, and if appropriate, the culprit should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”
“There is no relationship we cherish more than the special relationship between the United States and the United Kingdom,” the President said in the statement.
As she arrived at the NATO summit, May made it clear she would be bringing up the issue of leaks in her meeting with Trump, which came three days after a suicide bomber killed 22 people and injured dozens at an Ariana Grande concert in the UK city of Manchester.
She said when it came to intelligence sharing, the US and the UK had a “special relationship,” adding “it’s our deepest defense and security partnership.”
“Of course that partnership is built on trust and part of that trust is knowing that intelligence can be shared confidently, and I will be making clear to President Trump today that intelligence that is shared between law enforcement agencies must remain secure.”
Trump ignored shouted questions about whether Britain could trust the US with its intelligence as he was greeting French President Emmanuel Macron outside the US Chief of Mission’s residence ahead of talks.
