1 00:00:00,040 --> 00:00:03,080 Speaker 1: Our daily Bloomberg Law Brief, now exploring legal issues in 2 00:00:03,080 --> 00:00:06,439 Speaker 1: the news, and it's brought to you by American Arbitration Association. 3 00:00:06,720 --> 00:00:11,400 Speaker 1: Business disputes are inevitable, resolve faster with the American Arbitration Association, 4 00:00:11,680 --> 00:00:15,920 Speaker 1: the global leader in alternative dispute resolution for over ninety years. 5 00:00:16,000 --> 00:00:19,599 Speaker 1: More at a d R dot org. Well, today we 6 00:00:19,720 --> 00:00:22,040 Speaker 1: turned to the story that was gripping Washington and the 7 00:00:22,079 --> 00:00:25,160 Speaker 1: White House before news of that memo from former FBI 8 00:00:25,280 --> 00:00:28,200 Speaker 1: Director James Comy came out last night. That's the Washington 9 00:00:28,240 --> 00:00:32,040 Speaker 1: Post report that President Trump revealed classified intelligence documents to 10 00:00:32,200 --> 00:00:35,239 Speaker 1: Russia's top diplomat during a meeting last week. For the 11 00:00:35,320 --> 00:00:38,880 Speaker 1: legal implications of that story, Bloomberg Law host Student Grosso 12 00:00:39,000 --> 00:00:42,720 Speaker 1: and Great Store speak to Stephen Vladik, a professor at 13 00:00:42,760 --> 00:00:46,199 Speaker 1: the University of Texas School of Law. Steve, before we 14 00:00:46,240 --> 00:00:48,919 Speaker 1: get deep deeper into the details of federal law law, 15 00:00:49,000 --> 00:00:51,239 Speaker 1: let's just get to the bottom line. Is it possible 16 00:00:51,240 --> 00:00:54,880 Speaker 1: that Donald Trump broke the law? So I think it's 17 00:00:54,960 --> 00:00:56,880 Speaker 1: possible he broke the law, and I think it's the 18 00:00:56,880 --> 00:01:00,240 Speaker 1: most important point for folks to take away is what 19 00:01:00,360 --> 00:01:03,720 Speaker 1: he actually did is not what's being described Um. So, 20 00:01:03,760 --> 00:01:05,440 Speaker 1: there are a lot of folks, you know, saying that 21 00:01:05,480 --> 00:01:09,640 Speaker 1: the president has the power to declassify whatever information he 22 00:01:09,720 --> 00:01:13,080 Speaker 1: chooses to declassify. That may very well be true. That's 23 00:01:13,120 --> 00:01:15,360 Speaker 1: not what he did, um right. And we know that 24 00:01:15,440 --> 00:01:19,800 Speaker 1: because if the President had declassified the information he you know, 25 00:01:19,880 --> 00:01:23,160 Speaker 1: apparently told to the Russians, the Washington Post would then 26 00:01:23,200 --> 00:01:25,200 Speaker 1: have reported it, right as to say, the Post would 27 00:01:25,200 --> 00:01:28,360 Speaker 1: have then told us exactly what it was. It's still classified. 28 00:01:28,400 --> 00:01:32,160 Speaker 1: What happened here was the President authorized the Foreign Minister 29 00:01:32,240 --> 00:01:34,680 Speaker 1: of Russia, the Russian ambassador of the U. S. And 30 00:01:34,720 --> 00:01:37,600 Speaker 1: whoever else is in that room to receive this class 31 00:01:37,600 --> 00:01:40,720 Speaker 1: that information. You know, that's a very different legal question 32 00:01:41,080 --> 00:01:43,480 Speaker 1: than whether the president can you know, going forward, for 33 00:01:43,520 --> 00:01:48,040 Speaker 1: all purposes declassify national security secrets. Is it also a 34 00:01:48,160 --> 00:01:52,600 Speaker 1: question he was not only declassifying national security secrets, but 35 00:01:52,640 --> 00:01:57,600 Speaker 1: he was declassifying our allies secrets. That's a great point. 36 00:01:57,640 --> 00:02:00,280 Speaker 1: I mean, so I think that's relevant both legally and 37 00:02:00,960 --> 00:02:04,120 Speaker 1: um politically. So legally, you know, it's very possible that 38 00:02:04,160 --> 00:02:09,120 Speaker 1: we have formal agreements with foreign intelligence agencies, including whichever 39 00:02:09,240 --> 00:02:12,920 Speaker 1: foreign intelligence agency was responsible for the information issues here, 40 00:02:13,320 --> 00:02:17,360 Speaker 1: that actually limits the circumstances in which any US official, 41 00:02:17,520 --> 00:02:20,640 Speaker 1: including the president, is allowed to share information that we 42 00:02:20,720 --> 00:02:24,079 Speaker 1: receive from that foreign intelligence agency. Frankly, would be surprising 43 00:02:24,120 --> 00:02:26,240 Speaker 1: if we didn't have that kind of an agreement. So 44 00:02:26,280 --> 00:02:29,960 Speaker 1: it's possible that the president's disclosure, you know, also violated 45 00:02:30,080 --> 00:02:33,680 Speaker 1: that kind of of legal constraint, but also optically, I mean, 46 00:02:33,680 --> 00:02:36,560 Speaker 1: I think the real problem is here. Even if President 47 00:02:36,560 --> 00:02:39,880 Speaker 1: Trump didn't break the law, that damage this does to, 48 00:02:40,520 --> 00:02:43,800 Speaker 1: you know, the prospect of trying to ask other foreign 49 00:02:43,840 --> 00:02:48,000 Speaker 1: intelligence agencies to share information with US going forward, frankly 50 00:02:48,000 --> 00:02:51,200 Speaker 1: as mind boggling. That is Stephen Vladi, a professor at 51 00:02:51,200 --> 00:02:54,320 Speaker 1: the University of Texas School of Law, speaking to Bloomberg 52 00:02:54,360 --> 00:02:56,960 Speaker 1: Law host John Grusso and Greg's store. You can listen 53 00:02:56,960 --> 00:03:00,560 Speaker 1: to Bloomberg Law weekdays at one BM whilst time here 54 00:03:00,560 --> 00:03:04,280 Speaker 1: on Bloomberg Radio. That is this Morning's Bloomberg Law Brief. 55 00:03:04,360 --> 00:03:07,800 Speaker 1: You can find more legal news Bloomberg lawn dot com 56 00:03:07,840 --> 00:03:11,880 Speaker 1: and Bloomberg Bena dot com. Attorneys will find exceptional legal 57 00:03:11,880 --> 00:03:15,200 Speaker 1: research and business development tools there as well. Visit Bloomberg 58 00:03:15,280 --> 00:03:19,519 Speaker 1: Lawn dot com and Bloomberg Bienna dot com for more information.