Democratic Rep. Jim Himes Tuesday called on Republicans to stand up to President Donald Trump following a Washington Post report that he'd shared highly classified intelligence information with two visiting Russians last week.
"It may not be illegal, but that's completely besides the point," the Connecticut lawmaker told CNN's "New Day" anchor Chris Cuomo.
"If The Washington Post story is to be believed, what happened is the president gave a lot more information than typically would be given."
If Trump did share information he should not have shared, it's "historical," Himes said, drawing a comparison to late Rep. Joseph McCarthy and his anti-communist "Red Scare" push.
"My Republican friends need to think about to moments like Joseph McCarthy and who stood with him and who showed courage and said: 'This is not us,' or back to the Nixon administration when that administration was coming apart," Himes said.
Trump on Tuesday insisted he had the right to share information with Russia concerning terrorism and other issues.
Himes, meanwhile, also said he's not sold on the argument that a president can declassify information when he sees fit.
"It may not be illegal, but that's completely besides the point," he said.
Sandy Fitzgerald ✉
Sandy Fitzgerald has more than three decades in journalism and serves as a general assignment writer for Newsmax covering news, media, and politics.
© 2026 Newsmax. All rights reserved.