Ah, now you insert the word "covertly" to move the goalposts. Why be covert? What does "covert" mean to you in this context? And I still don't see why it would be blackmailable. Just say, yeah foreign entities have told me things. Maybe they're true, maybe not. So what?
It is your opinion, and that is all it is. Not trying to be a d1ck here but it is the Executive Branches decision on what is and is not secret.
Your opinion on "placing the US in jeopardy" means very different things to different people. That would make your position an opinion.
Lol, I'm not moving the goal posts. it is possible you just don't understand how things work at that level. This is what I was saying about the media and lay people's understanding (I'm not trying to be rude)
Any time an individual at a certain level agrees to entertain a meeting with a foreign government, without engaging the FBI, that is considered a covert meeting.
If you think about it, if russia contacted you abd they wanted to talk, you could consider that covert. You don't have a clearance and (presumably) don't deal with/have access to US sensitive information, so you aren't required to self report.
Covert, undisclosed, contact is how spies are born, and how espionage occurs.
Really all this comes down to is - the ppl in these positions (Hilary included) swear to a duty to put the interests of the USA first. There are specific guidelines for doing this, and specific ramifications if they don't. If the 45th (whomever that was) continued to be reckless, Congress would deal with it.
As I opened with, I'm quite surprised that the president of the United States is openly saying "I wouldn't self report foreign contact immediately, I would hear them out first" That goes against what he agreed to when obtaining his clearance, sets a bad precedent, and is really an invitation to our adversaries (the ones that want to change our great country to suit their interests) to go ahead and contact our president on the under because, maybe, they can get their agenda run, as long as 45 gets something too. Because, as we all understand, it's ALWAYS a transaction. No foreign contact comes free of strings.