US claims decision to turn back French scientist had nothing to do with Trump

The French govt's claim that a scientist was denied entry into the US because of an opinion he expressed about the Trump administration is "blatantly false," a US official has said. Tricia McLaughlin, a spokesperson for the department of homeland security, said, "The French researcher in question was in possession of confidential information on his electronic device from Los Alamos National Laboratory - in violation of a nondisclosure agreement - something he admitted to taking without permission and attempted to conceal," McLaughlin said late Thursday. Los Alamos National Laboratory is best known as a place that was crucial to the development of the atomic bomb. Philippe Baptiste, the French minister for higher education, said the scientist was not allowed to enter the US because his phone contained message exchanges with friends in which he gave his "personal opinion" on Trump's scientific and research policies.