Jack Smith investigated talks between Trump and Australian billionaire over US nuclear submarine capabilities: report

There’s a reason it’s called “silent service.”

Special counsel Jack Smith investigated whether former President Donald Trump shared confidential information about the U.S. nuclear submarine program with an Australian billionaire, who then repeated the information to dozens of others.

The alleged conversation between Trump, 77, and Anthony Pratt took place at Mar-a-Lago in April 2021, months after the former president left office, according to ABC News.

Pratt, head of packaging company Pratt Industries, reportedly told federal prosecutors that Trump quietly revealed to him the exact number of nuclear warheads American submarines carry and how close they can get to a Russian submarine without being detected.

The submarine community – dubbed the Navy’s “silent service” – depends on secrecy to ensure not only the safety of sailors on board, but also national security. American submariners often spend months underwater, unable to speak to their families while deployed on highly sensitive missions.

The incident was reportedly investigated by special prosecutor Jack Smith.AP

A Congressional Budget Office report from November 2013 states that the US fleet of Ohio-class nuclear submarines can carry a maximum of 20 missiles and up to eight nuclear warheads per missile. The Navy has only 14 of them, which will be replaced in the 2030s by an updated version, the Columbia class, currently in production.

It was unclear Friday what kind of submarine Trump was referring to.

Trump allegedly revealed the information to Pratt after the packaging magnate told the former president he believed Australia should buy its submarines from the United States.

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Trump reportedly revealed the exact number of nuclear warheads US submarines carry and how close they can get to a Russian submarine without being detected.VIA BLOOMBERG NEWS

Within minutes of their conversation, the Australian billionaire informed another Mar-a-Lago guest what Trump had just told him, a former employee of the Palm Beach, Florida, club told federal investigators, according to the outlet.

Pratt would go on to share the information with at least 45 other people, the report said, including journalists, some of his employees and Australian officials, including three former Australian prime ministers.

Federal investigators reportedly told Pratt not to repeat figures allegedly revealed by the former president, indicating security concerns raised by the disclosure.

Pratt reportedly told at least 45 people about the information he heard from Trump. Getty Images for The New York Times

Submarines are a critical component of the United States’ “nuclear triad” due to the platform’s ability to keep nuclear weapons out of the nation, surreptitiously patrol adversary waters, and remain undetected by enemies to avoid becoming a aim.

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“[Submarines] “We ensure that we can strike at any time and anywhere, even after a surprise (nuclear) attack,” according to the service. “This survivability gives the national leadership greater flexibility in the decision-making process.”

If enemies gain knowledge of the submarines’ specifications or plans, that knowledge could be used to thwart both offensive and defensive attacks, detect and destroy American vessels, or design capabilities aimed at exploiting their vulnerabilities, defense experts say.

Pratt told investigators that Trump did not share any government documents with him during their April 2021 discussion and had not done so since.

Trump faces 40 criminal charges related to his alleged withholding of confidential White House documents at Mar-a-Lago after his presidency.

One of those charges accuses Trump of keeping a classified document outlining a possible attack plan against Iran, which he showed in the summer of 2021 to a writer and editor working on a biography of former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows. .

Earlier this year, President Biden announced that the United States will sell at least three nuclear-powered attack submarines to Australia.

Some of the Australian officials involved in discussions with the Biden administration over the submarine sale were reportedly among the people Pratt spoke to about his alleged conversation with Trump.

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Source: vtt.edu.vn

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