President Trump Leaks Presence Of Nuclear Subs To Philippine President: Report

WASHINGTON, DC — As President Trump assails U.S. intelligence agencies for refusing to do more about leakers in his own administration, it appears that he's having difficulty controlling his own leaks of sensitive information to foreign governments. A new report by the New York Times says Trump told his Philippine counterpart in a phone call where two American submarines armed with nuclear warheads were located.

The remarks are from a Philippine transcript of the call last month between Trump and Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte that was obtained by media outlets. Similar to a report saying Trump leaked highly classified information to Russian officials, he appears to brag to Duterte of the resources at his disposal near North Korea and reveals that two nuclear-armed submarines are located nearby.

The Pentagon closely guards information about the 14 Ohio-class ballistic missile submarines roaming the world's oceans. They are equipped with Trident missiles carrying nuclear warheads.

"We have two submarines — the best in the world. We have two nuclear submarines, not that we want to use them at all," the New York Times quoted Trump as telling Duterte, based on the transcript.

It is possible that Trump is referring to Virginia- or Los Angeles-class attack submarines, which are simply nuclear-powered, but the phrase "not that we want to use them at all" suggests he is referring to the larger Ohio-class submarines that bear nuclear warheads.

North Korea has once again been making waves by conducting a series of missile tests in defiance of Washington and other world leaders, prompting the United States to send assets like the USS Carl Vinson aircraft carrier to the Korean Peninsula.

Earlier this month, Trump was hit with an avalanche of criticism when a report emerged that he had leaked highly sensitive intelligence on ISIS to Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and Russian Ambassador Sergei Kislyak during a meeting at the Oval Office. In that report, Trump appeared to brag of his insider knowledge of U.S. intelligence operations.

Unlike Russia, the Philippines is a U.S. ally, and Trump's comments on the subs are relatively vague. But the incident calls into question whether he is capable of recognizing which information should not be shared with foreign governments.

Trump also raised eyebrows by praising Duterte for doing an "unbelievable job on the drug problem" during the phone call. Duterte has been heavily criticized for his brutality, as nearly 9,000 people have been killed since he took office last June, according to a Reuters report.

Trump's comments drew rebukes on social media:

Underplayed from Trump-Duterte call: he told Duterte we have 2 nuclear submarines near N. Korea. That's…not usually something we talk about. pic.twitter.com/Qiqgcj6NOk
— Bradd Jaffy (@BraddJaffy) May 24, 2017

Trump tells Duterte the undisclosed position of two U.S. nuclear submarines. "Loose lips sink ships" literally. https://t.co/1IT3AWp5zz
— Mike Rundle (@flyosity) May 24, 2017

@DavidCornDC 2 nuclear submarines ? It's not a Secret if the President Trump says so....It's not a crime if the President does it. Nixonian to the core.
— G Hawkins (@FilmProfessor9) May 24, 2017

Image via Gage Skidmore