Former US President Donald Trump revealed classified information on the tactical capabilities of US nuclear submarines to Australian billionaire Anthony Pratt at a meeting at his private club in Florida’s Mar-a-Lago, US media reported.
ABC News reported that Pratt later shared sensitive details about US submarines with “scores of others, including more than a dozen foreign officials, several of his own employees, and a handful of journalists.”
Two unnamed sources told The New York Times that Trump’s revelations have “potentially endangered the US nuclear fleet.”
Federal prosecutors investigating Trump’s handling of classified material at Mar-a-Lago after he had left the presidency questioned Pratt twice about the incident, The NY Times reported.
Prosecutors can now call Pratt to testify against Trump in his classified documents trial, which is set to begin next May in Florida.
Pratt met Trump at his Palm Beach club in April 2021 and told the former president that he thought Australia should start buying its submarines from the US, according to ABC. In response, Trump allegedly told the businessman precise details about US nuclear submarine capabilities.
In the conversation with the billionaire, Trump revealed at least two important details about the tactical capabilities of US submarines, including “how many nuclear warheads the vessels carried and how close they could get to their Russian counterparts without being detected,” The New York Times reported.
Trump has not yet responded to the disclosures.
In addition to the secret documents case, Trump faces three other charges: one federal, one in the State of Georgia for trying to overturn his election defeat, and one in New York for paying hush money on the eve of the 2016 election to an adult entertainment actress.
Trump is currently on trial in New York on charges of inflating the value of his assets in order to secure more favourable terms from banks and insurance companies.
