(CNN) — President Donald Trump’s retweet of a Fox News story claiming US satellites detected North Korea moving anti-ship cruise missiles to a patrol boat is raising eyebrows on Tuesday after US Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley indicated that the information in the report is classified and was leaked.
The story that the President re-tweeted:
U.S. spy satellites detect North Korea moving anti-ship cruise missiles to patrol boat https://t.co/BPFXsLffgy
— FOX & friends (@foxandfriends) August 8, 2017
“I can’t talk about anything that’s classified and if that’s in the newspaper that’s a shame,” Haley said Tuesday on “Fox and Friends” when asked about the story that cites two anonymous sources.
Pushed on whether the information was leaked, Haley said “it’s one of those things I don’t know what’s going on. I will tell you it’s incredibly dangerous when things get out into the press like that.”
But just a few hours before Haley’s appearance on Fox, Trump retweeted a post from the Fox News morning show promoting the story said to contain classified information.
The White House has not responded to a request for comment.
A US defense official familiar with the latest US intelligence corroborated reporting contained in the Fox News story, telling CNN that as of August 1 North Korea had loaded two anti-ship “Stormpetrel” cruise missile “canisters” on a guided missile patrol craft stationed on the east coast.
The official said this is the first time these types of canisters have been loaded on to this type of ship since 2014 — a move that the US military thinks may mean that North Korea is prepping for a seaborne anti-ship cruise missile test.
Trump’s motive for retweeting the Fox News story remains unclear but the decision to promote a report that — according to the US ambassador to the United Nations — contains classified information leaked to the press by anonymous sources comes just days after the President praised Attorney General Jeff Sessions‘ plan to combat that very practice in the name of national security.
“After many years of LEAKS going on in Washington, it is great to see the A.G. taking action!” Trump tweeted. “For National Security, the tougher the better!” Trump tweeted over the weekend.
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