The White House on Saturday dismissed a National Public Radio report claiming U.S. government papers found at an Alaskan hotel revealed sensitive details of President Donald Trump’s summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
The White House ridiculed NPR for the story. White House deputy press secretary Anna Kelly said the outlet had sensationalized the documents, dismissing them as a “multi-page lunch menu.”
“It’s hilarious that NPR is publishing a multi-page lunch menu and calling it a ‘security breach,'” Kelly wrote in a statement to ABC News. “This type of self-proclaimed ‘investigative journalism’ is why no one takes them seriously and they are no longer taxpayer-funded thanks to President Trump.”
NPR reported that eight pages marked with U.S. State Department insignia were discovered Friday morning in the business center of Hotel Captain Cook in Anchorage, about 20 minutes from Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, where the Trump-Putin meeting took place.
According to NPR, the packet detailed the sequence of Aug. 15 meetings, including room locations inside the base, phone numbers of U.S. staff, and even the ceremonial gift Trump intended for Putin — an American Bald Eagle desk statue. The documents also reportedly contained a seating chart and luncheon menu, placing Trump across from Putin alongside senior U.S. Cabinet officials including Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth.
Though the luncheon was later canceled, the paperwork suggested a planned three-course meal of salad, filet mignon, and halibut olympia, with creme brulee for dessert. NPR also reported that pages in the packet provided phonetic spellings for Russian names, including “Mr. President POO-tihn.”
Legal scholars interviewed by NPR said the discovery pointed to “sloppiness” in handling sensitive materials ahead of a high-stakes diplomatic event.
The State Department did not respond to NPR’s requests for comment.
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