Former President Donald Trump allegedly dished out potentially sensitive information about the US nuclear submarine program to an Australian billionaire months after leaving office, according to a report.
The alleged conversation between Trump, 77, and Anthony Pratt took place at Mar-a-Lago in April 2021 and was investigated by special counsel Jack Smith, according to ABC News.
Pratt, the head of Pratt Industries, a packaging company, reportedly told federal prosecutors that Trump discreetly disclosed to him the precise number of nuclear warheads US submarines carry and how close they can get to a Russian submarine without being detected.
Trump allegedly revealed the information to Pratt after the packaging magnate told the former president that he believed Australia should purchase its submarines from the US.
Within minutes of their conversation, the Australian billionaire informed another Mar-a-Lago guest of what Trump had just told him, a former employee at the Palm Beach, Fla., club told federal investigators, according to the outlet.
Pratt would go on to share the information with at least 45 others, according to the report, including journalists, some of his employees, and Australian officials, including three former Australian prime ministers.
Federal Investigators reportedly told Pratt not to repeat the numbers allegedly disclosed by the former president.
The US fleet of Ohio-class nuclear submarines can carry a maximum of 20 missiles and up to eight nuclear warheads per missile, according to a Congressional Budget Office report.
Pratt told investigators Trump didn’t share any government documents with him during their April 2021 discussion or since.
Trump faces 40 criminal counts related to his alleged retention of sensitive White House documents at Mar-a-Lago after his presidency.
Earlier this year, President Biden announced that the US will sell at least three nuclear-powered attack submarines to Australia.
Some of the Australian officials involved in the discussions with the Biden administration about the submarine sale were reportedly among the individuals that Pratt talked to about his alleged conversation with Trump.