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Democrats vocal after reports that Trump revealed confidential info to Russia

Democrats vocal after reports that Trump revealed confidential info to Russia
Posted at 4:51 PM, May 15, 2017
and last updated 2017-05-15 20:16:10-04

Within minutes after the Washington Post first reported that President Donald Trump revealed secret information to Russian officials during an Oval Office visit last week, Democratic senators are calling Trump's actions "irresponsible" and "shocking."

RELATED: Trump leaked classified info to Russians, Washington Post reports

If true, Trump's actions are not illegal as the president has the ability to declassify information. But it is unclear whether Trump formally declassified information, or disclosed information that will remain secret. 

But through National Security Advisor HR McMaster, Trump denied the Washington Post's reports. 

The reports comes as federal officials continue an ongoing investigation into Russia's meddling in the 2016 election, which saw Trump winning the Electoral College vote. 

While Republicans have largely avoided the issue on Twitter, Democratic senators were vocal on Monday night about the report. One exception was Arizona Senator John McCain, who called Monday's report, "If true, deeply disturbing."

House Speaker Paul Ryan didn't speak directly, but a spokesperson did release a statement on his behalf: “We have no way to know what was said, but protecting our nation's secrets is paramount. The speaker hopes for a full explanation of the facts from the administration."

Here is a sampling of what Democratic senators tweeted on Monday:

"Let's be clear - this is extremely dangerous and a real threat to our security," Kamala Harris, D-California, said. 

"This kind of disclosure could harm national security by jeopardizing important sources of information needed to disrupt terrorist attacks," Ron Wyden, D-Oregon said. 

"Protecting our national security is one of the most important tasks a president has, and Trump is failing at it," Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders, former Democratic Party candidate for president, said.

"Russia is not our friend. It’s alarming if President Trump is exposing highly sensitive classified info to adversary," Gary Peters, D-Michigan, said.