The White House moved to clamp down on access to records of presidential phone calls after problematic leaks of sensitive discussions early in the Trump administration, according to people with knowledge of the actions, culminating in the use of a secret national security server which is now central to the impeachment probe.
Back-to-back leaks of controversial remarks by President Trump during calls with leaders of Mexico and Australia resulted from an unusually loose record-distribution policy in the first days of the Trump White House, one of these people said, leading to the secret server's eventual use for records of calls involving leaders of Saudi Arabia, Russia and Ukraine.
White House officials also moved to significantly limit the number of individuals who could listen in on many of his calls, or who could access the records after those calls were concluded, the people said.
That call has prompted allegations from lawmakers that Mr. Trump improperly asked Mr. Zelensky to investigate political rival Joe Biden, and that officials at the time hid records of it by using the national security computer server instead of systems where such records normally are maintained.
Presidents generally make phone calls on one of several secure phone lines, including those in the White House Situation Room, the Oval Office or the presidential limousine.
Two ranking officials who served in the Obama administration said transcripts then were limited to only the top people on the national security team and officials overseeing policy areas that came up during a phone call.
Beyond the existence of official records from the president's official calls, many senior officials have expressed concern over phone calls the president has had with foreign leaders on his cellphone.
https://www.wsj.com/articles/embarrassing-leaks-led-to-clampdown-on-trumps-phone-records-11569710889?mod=hp_lead_pos1
Back-to-back leaks of controversial remarks by President Trump during calls with leaders of Mexico and Australia resulted from an unusually loose record-distribution policy in the first days of the Trump White House, one of these people said, leading to the secret server's eventual use for records of calls involving leaders of Saudi Arabia, Russia and Ukraine.
White House officials also moved to significantly limit the number of individuals who could listen in on many of his calls, or who could access the records after those calls were concluded, the people said.
That call has prompted allegations from lawmakers that Mr. Trump improperly asked Mr. Zelensky to investigate political rival Joe Biden, and that officials at the time hid records of it by using the national security computer server instead of systems where such records normally are maintained.
Presidents generally make phone calls on one of several secure phone lines, including those in the White House Situation Room, the Oval Office or the presidential limousine.
Two ranking officials who served in the Obama administration said transcripts then were limited to only the top people on the national security team and officials overseeing policy areas that came up during a phone call.
Beyond the existence of official records from the president's official calls, many senior officials have expressed concern over phone calls the president has had with foreign leaders on his cellphone.
https://www.wsj.com/articles/embarrassing-leaks-led-to-clampdown-on-trumps-phone-records-11569710889?mod=hp_lead_pos1
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