Former employees of the American intelligence services alarmed by the presence of the press photographer of TASS, the meeting between the President of the United States Donald trump and Minister of foreign Affairs of Russia Sergey Lavrov in the oval office on may 10. About it writes The Washington Post.
Former employees criticized the White house for issuing such a level of access to Russian state news Agency. According to them, it can threaten security. They suggested that the photographer could carry a listening device, hiding it in his technique.
This subject commented David Cohen, who served as the Deputy Director of the CIA under the previous President Barack Obama. On Twitter he expressed the opinion that to let Russian photographer with all his equipment in the Oval office was not a good idea.
In the US administration, in turn, said that before entering the area of the White house photographer was watching, it was also checked his equipment.
Earlier in the American media was an extensive discussion about the non-admission of press to meetings trump and Secretary of state Rex Tillerson with Lavrov. As noted by the Washington Examiner, reporters were allowed into the Oval office after the head of state spoke with the Russian Minister (then, trump took former Secretary of state Henry Kissinger). Commenting on the publication, the official representative of Russian foreign Ministry Maria Zakharova said that the format of the coverage of the event with the participation of only two photographers, one on each side, was proposed by the Americans.