Scott Jennings, a CNN contributor, is a former special assistant to President George W. Bush and former campaign adviser to Sen. Mitch McConnell. He is a partner at RunSwitch Public Relations in Louisville, Kentucky. Follow him on Twitter @ScottJenningsKY. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of the author.

(CNN) The revelation that President Donald Trump congratulated Russian President Vladimir Putin on his, um, hard fought re-election has set off a firestorm of criticism -- from a Twitter scolding by Sen. John McCain on the right to reproach by foreign policy experts connected to former Vice-President Joe Biden on the left.

Scott Jennings

That a further detail about that call was leaked to the press is an outrage that must be addressed: Officials familiar with the President's call to congratulate Putin told reporters that in doing so Trump ignored briefing materials that read, in all caps, "DO NOT CONGRATULATE."

To be clear, most conservatives agree that Russia conducted a sham election and there's nothing worth congratulating. Do we congratulate boots when they crush ants? There's nothing "special or pleasant" about Putin's winning, there's no "achievement" in winning a rigged election, and there's no "pride" or "satisfaction" to feel from a predetermined outcome (these are all the reasons the dictionary give for "congratulating" someone).

But the fact is the President can call whomever he wants and should be able to do so with the expectation that his staff won't leak the contents of the call. That someone in the national security apparatus was apparently willing to leak sensitive documents and information to reporters about the President's calls to other world leaders lends credence to President Trump's theory that there is a "deep state" working to undermine him. It isn't the first time it's happened.

The President's opponents call him crazy when they hear that term — deep state -- but how can you look at a leak like this and not wonder if there is at least a kernel of truth?

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