BRUSSELS — President Donald Trump vowed Thursday to crack down on leaks that prompted Manchester police to withhold information from the United States about the investigation into this week's bombing. He also chastised NATO leaders for not paying their fair share to protect the long-standing alliance.
A British official said Thursday that Manchester police have decided not to share further information on the investigation due to leaks blamed on U.S. officials. Trump, who said there is "no relationship we cherish more" than the one with the U.K., declared the leaks "deeply troubling" and said he was asking the Justice Department to lead an investigation into the matter.
"These leaks have been going on for a long time, and my administration will get to the bottom of this," Trump said in a written statement. "The leaks of sensitive information pose a grave threat to our national security."
Trump issued his sharp rebuke from Brussels, a city he once called a hellhole, where he was addressing leaders at both the European Union and NATO, a pair of alliances whose necessity he has questioned.
At NATO's new headquarters, Trump returned to his longstanding call for member nations to pay their fair share, lecturing leaders about contributing more.
"This is not fair to the people and taxpayers of the United States," Trumps said in brief remarks. "If NATO countries made their full and complete contributions, then NATO would be even stronger than it is today, especially from the threat of terrorism."
The 28 member nations, plus soon-to-join Montenegro, will renew an old vow to move toward spending 2 percent of their gross domestic product on defense by 2024. Only five members currently meet the target: Britain, Estonia, debt-laden Greece, Poland and the United States, which spends more on defense than all the other allies combined.
Read Friday's Arkansas Democrat-Gazette for full details.