WASHINGTON — U.S. Sen. Cory Gardner said Tuesday that the White House should be forthcoming about what happened last week when President Donald Trump met with Russian officials in the Oval Office — a conference in which Trump is said to have revealed classified information.

“There have been conflicting reports out of the White House,” said Gardner, R-Colo., when asked about a story in The Washington Post that said Trump shared sensitive information about the Islamic State.

“I think if they were reported accurately, it’s a concern,” he added. “We have to have information. We simply have to have more information. It’s my understanding the Senate Intelligence Committee has requested that.”

The potential release of classified information has bothered Gardner before — though not with Trump.

Last year, he introduced a measure aimed at Hillary Clinton that would have revoked her security clearances after it was revealed she used a private server to handle emails while serving as U.S. Secretary of State.

His bill also called for new rules, notably that “no officer or employee of the Federal Government who has exercised extreme carelessness in the handling of classified information may be granted a security clearance,” according to the measure.

Asked whether the current situation was similar, Gardner tried to draw a distinction. “That legislation was talking about a legal right, at the time that was the issue — somebody who had a legal right to the information,” he said.

Though he was opposed to Clinton, Gardner never has been a big Trump fan. Last year he called on Trump to drop out of the presidential race and said he wouldn’t vote for him.



