Jessica Estepa

USA TODAY

President Trump reportedly disclosed highly classified information when he met with top Russian diplomats last week. Here's what we know now.

Who are the Russian diplomats?

Last week, Trump met with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and Ambassador Sergey Kislyak in the Oval Office. It attracted special attention since it was the only public event listed on Trump's schedule just one day after he fired FBI director James Comey, who was running the agency's ongoing investigation into possible collusion between Trump campaign associates and Russians seeking to influence the American presidential election. While U.S. media was barred from taking photos of the meeting, the Russian-owned TASS news agency circulated photos of their meeting.

What did Trump tell them?

According to The Washington Post, Trump described highly classified details of an Islamic State threat related to using laptop computers on aircraft. He also reportedly revealed the city in the Islamic State's territory where the U.S. partner detected the threat, which could damage a critical source of intelligence on the terrorist group.

Who provided the classified intelligence?

The New York Times reported on Tuesday that the classified intelligence came from Israel, a major intelligence collector in the Middle East. Israeli officials did not confirm that they were the source of the intel.

Has Trump answered?

In early morning tweets, the president said on Twitter that he has a right to share facts about terrorism.

"As President I wanted to share with Russia (at an openly scheduled W.H. meeting) which I have the absolute right to do, facts pertaining to terrorism and airline flight safety," he wrote Tuesday. Humanitarian reasons, plus I want Russia to greatly step up their fight against ISIS & terrorism."

What does the rest of the Trump administration say?

Trump's explanation appeared to differ in tone from the statements by National Security Adviser Lt. Gen. H.R. McMaster, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and deputy national security adviser Dina Powell, who on Monday denied the Post report.

"The story that came out tonight, as reported, is false," McMaster said Monday. "There is nothing that the president takes more seriously than the security of the American people. The president and the foreign minister reviewed a range of common threats to our two countries including threats to civil aviation. At no time were intelligence sources or methods discussed. And the president did not disclose any military operations that were not already publicly known."

He continued: "Two other senior officials who were present, including the secretary of State, remember the meeting the same way and have said so. Their on-the-record accounts should outweigh those of anonymous sources. I was in the room — it didn't happen."

During Tuesday's briefing, McMaster stood by his original statement, adding that the president "wasn't even aware of where the information came from."

But has anyone denied that Trump shared classified information?

Notably, no. Trump's statements from this morning – and those of his administration officials – did not explicitly deny that the president shared classified information with the Russians.

So even though McMaster and other officials said Trump did not disclose sources and methods, it's worth noting that the Post story never said he did. Instead, the story said Trump discussed information in a way in which sources and method could be deduced.

Can the president disclose classified info?

Yes. As commander in chief, he has the authority to unilaterally disclose classified information.

Every other government employee with a clearance could face criminal charges for disclosing classified information without prior permission. But the commander in chief has the power to unilaterally disclose any material — even the most secret intelligence — without going through any kind of formal process.

That doesn't mean these disclosures are good policy, though. According to experts, it's the consequences of such a disclosure — such as allies losing trust in the United States — that we should be worried about.

How do members of Congress feel about this?

Several lawmakers, including those running intelligence and foreign affairs committees, called the alleged disclosures "inexcusable" and "deeply disturbing."

"To compromise a source is something that you just don't do," Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Bob Corker, R-Tenn., said. "That's why we keep the information that we get from intelligence sources so close ... to prevent that from happening."

Republican Sen. Susan Collins of Maine said the administration "immediately" needed to brief the Senate Intelligence Committee, on which she sits.

"There are conflicting reports about whether or not President Trump disclosed sensitive information to the Russians," she said in a statement. "Although the President has the legal authority to disclose classified information, it would be very troubling if he did share such sensitive reporting with the Russians."

Democrats lined up to call foul, including Sen. Mark Warner of Virginia, the top Democrat on the intelligence panel: "If true, this is a slap in the face to the intel community. Risking sources & methods is inexcusable, particularly with the Russians."

What's the significance of Trump disclosing to the Russians?

Trump's relationship with Russia has been under close scrutiny since the presidential campaign. The U.S. intelligence community has accused Russia of orchestrating a massive hacking campaign targeting Democratic political organizations to undermine Hillary Clinton's campaign and public confidence in the election. Trump has called the Russia story a "hoax" and denied his associates have any links to Moscow.

Still, Trump has consistently said he wants a better relationship with Russia. But the news of his disclosures comes as lawmakers criticize Russia for its role in the Syria civil war, saying it is helping Syrian Bashar al-Assad's government kill his opponents in the name of fighting the Islamic State terrorism.

"It's not helpful that this was the Russians," said Sen. Ben Sasse, R-Neb., speaking about the disclosures on MSNBC's Morning Joe on Tuesday. "It's just weird."

Contributing: Kevin Johnson, David Jackson