The House Oversight Committee on Tuesday asked White House Chief of Staff Reince Priebus for details surrounding President Donald Trump’s handling of an international incident while at his Mar-a-Lago resort on Sunday.
Committee Chairman Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R-UT) sent a letter to Priebus on Tuesday requesting answers about the Trump administration’s reaction to an intermediate-range ballistic missile test by North Korea.
Trump was having dinner with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzō Abe in the open air at Mar-a-Lago when, several photos from other diners appear to show, White House and other staff swarm their table and attempt to read various documents and make phone calls related to the test.
“[R]eports and social media accounts have suggested White House staff used their own cell phones to provide illumination for reviewing documents,” Chaffetz wrote, referencing the photos.
White House press secretary Sean Spicer said Tuesday that Trump was briefed in a secure room on the missile test, and that he and Abe were pictured having “a discussion about press logistics, where to host the event,” referring to a press conference held shortly afterward.
“Nevertheless,” the committee’s letter said in response to Spicer’s claims Tuesday, “discussions with foreign leaders regarding international missile tests, and documents used to support those discussions, are presumably sensitive.”
Specifically, Chaffetz asked Priebus to explain the security protocols in place surrounding the discussions at Mar-a-Lago, including the presence of so-called SCIFs (Sensitive Compartmented Information Facility) and procedures for vetting resort guests; and to identify the information discussed, including whether it was classified, and where it was discussed.
Read the full letter below:
