Donald Trump claims he was not briefed about Russia putting ‘bounties’ on US soldiers
The United States reportedly knew “months ago” that Russia had orchestrated a scheme to get its soldiers killed. But the President wasn’t told.
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US President Donald Trump says he was never briefed on explosive intelligence showing Russia offered militants in Afghanistan bounties to kill American soldiers.
Over the weekend, The New York Times reported a Russian military intelligence unit had secretly offered to reward Taliban-linked militants for successfully targeting coalition forces, including US troops, last year.
Citing US officials “briefed on the matter”, the newspaper said America was aware of Russia’s actions “months ago”, Mr Trump was briefed, and the White House’s National Security Council discussed the issue in late March.
“Officials developed a menu of potential options, starting with making a diplomatic complaint to Moscow and a demand that it stop, along with an escalating series of sanctions and other possible responses, but the White House has yet to authorise any step,” it said.
Twenty American soldiers died in Afghanistan in 2019. It is unclear how many of those deaths, if any, were linked to Russia’s involvement, but according to the Times there is intelligence to suggest bounty money did change hands.
Today The Washington Post reported the bribes had resulted in “several” deaths, but it did not give a specific number.
The White House has not disputed the media’s characterisation of the underlying intelligence, but it has contradicted one crucial element of the story. It says Mr Trump and Vice President Mike Pence were not, in fact, briefed.
“The United States receives thousands of intelligence reports a day, and they are subject to strict scrutiny,” said Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany.
“While the White House does not routinely comment on alleged intelligence or internal deliberations, the CIA director, national security adviser and the chief of staff can all confirm that neither the President nor the Vice President were briefed on the alleged Russian bounty intelligence.”
The Director of National Intelligence, John Ratcliffe, also released a statement on the matter. He said he had confirmed “neither the President nor the Vice President were ever briefed on any intelligence” reported by the Times.
According to CBS News’ national security reporter Catherine Herridge, the National Security Council has gone back through its files and found no evidence the bounty allegations were ever included in Mr Trump’s daily national security briefing.
DEVELOPING: A senior intel official tells @CBSNews the GRU/Taliban bounty allegations were not contained in the President's Daily Brief (PDB) which is the highly classified, daily summary of national security issues delivered to the President, key cabinet secretaries + advisers..
— Catherine Herridge (@CBS_Herridge) June 28, 2020
And today, the President himself said nobody had told him about “the so-called attacks” on American troops.
“Everybody is denying it and there have not been many attacks on us,” said Mr Trump, dismissing the story as “just another phony Times hit job”.
...Nobody’s been tougher on Russia than the Trump Administration. With Corrupt Joe Biden & Obama, Russia had a field day, taking over important parts of Ukraine - Where’s Hunter? Probably just another phony Times hit job, just like their failed Russia Hoax. Who is their “source�
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 28, 2020
TRUMP ‘KEPT IN THE DARK’
If Mr Trump truly wasn’t briefed on a serious allegation that Russia was orchestrating attacks on US troops, there is a fairly obvious follow-up question – why not?
As recently as May – months after US intelligence uncovered the alleged bounty scheme – Mr Trump was pushing for Russia to be readmitted to the prestigious Group of 7, which currently includes the United States, Germany, France, Britain, Japan, Canada and Italy.
Russia was kicked out of the group in 2014 after it annexed Crimea from Ukraine. Letting it back in would be quite the diplomatic boon for President Vladimir Putin.
“Why weren’t the President or Vice President briefed? Who did know, and when?” Republican Congresswoman Liz Cheney asked today.
She was echoed by other Republicans, including former Navy SEAL Dan Crenshaw.
If reporting about Russian bounties on US forces is true, the White House must explain:
— Liz Cheney (@Liz_Cheney) June 28, 2020
1. Why weren’t the president or vice president briefed? Was the info in the PDB?
2. Who did know and when?
3. What has been done in response to protect our forces & hold Putin accountable?
This is exactly right. We need answers. https://t.co/WloVGAFtsp
— Rep. Dan Crenshaw (@RepDanCrenshaw) June 28, 2020
“There’s no good answer here. Either he did know, and with that knowledge, was still talking about bringing Russia into the G7. If he wasn’t briefed, then the question is, why wasn’t he briefed?” said NBC anchor Chuck Todd.
“It is striking how careful these statements are from the White House, to not dispute the facts of the intelligence reports, but at the same time, only dispute the notion that the President and Vice President were briefed.
“It just, it’s amazing to me, to proactively admit that the President is kept in the dark on something this alarming.”
Mr Trump finally provided an explanation at about 11pm, local time, claiming “intel” had told him they didn’t brief him because they did not find the information “credible”.
Intel just reported to me that they did not find this info credible, and therefore did not report it to me or @VP. Possibly another fabricated Russia Hoax, maybe by the Fake News @nytimesbooks, wanting to make Republicans look bad!!! https://t.co/cowOmP7T1S
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 29, 2020
Mr Trump’s political opponents, the Democrats, aren’t buying it.
The President’s rival in the upcoming election, former vice president Joe Biden, called the Russia story “shocking” and “beyond the pale”, dismissing the White House’s insistence that Mr Trump was unaware of the intelligence.
“The commander-in-chief of American troops, serving in the dangerous theatre of war, has known about this for months according to the Times, and done worse than nothing,” Mr Biden said.
“Not only has he failed to sanction or impose any kind of consequences on Russia for this egregious violation of international law, Donald Trump has continued his embarrassing campaign of deference and debasing himself before Vladimir Putin.
“It’s a betrayal of the most sacred duty we bear as a nation to protect and equip our troops when we send them into harm’s way.
“It’s a betrayal of every single American family with a loved one serving in Afghanistan, or anywhere overseas.”
His fellow Democrat, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, went even further, suggesting Mr Trump was reluctant to confront Russia because the country “has something” on him.
“This is as bad as it gets, and yet, the President will not confront the Russians on this score,” Ms Pelosi said.
“Just as I have said to the President, with him, all roads lead to Putin. I don’t know what the Russians have on the President – politically, personally, financially or whatever it is – but he wants to ignore, he wants to bring them back to the G8.
“The President wants to ignore any allegation against Russia.”
She said Mr Trump “should have been briefed”.
“You would think that the minute the President heard of it, he would want to know more instead of denying that he knew anything,” said Ms Pelosi.
“If he was not (briefed), what does that say about the concern that those who have briefed the President have of not going anywhere near the Russia issue with the President?
“How else would you explain his refusal to even – to ignore, again and again, the intelligence that puts right at the Russian doorstep this involvement into our elections, for example?
“Now he’s saying this is fake news. Why would he say that? Why wouldn’t he say, ‘Let’s look into it?’ How do you answer to the family members of those who are serving there, and he’s engaged in peace negotiations with the Taliban, and he’s kissing up to Putin in every way?
“Something is wrong with this picture.”
"Whether he is or not, his administration knows," Speaker Pelosi says as White House denies Trump was briefed.
— This Week (@ThisWeekABC) June 28, 2020
“With him all roads lead to Putin ... I don’t know what the Russians have on the president politically, personally, financially or whatever." https://t.co/rq4b7S2nbP pic.twitter.com/VV8ceO00x0
Senator Tammy Duckworth, a former lieutenant colonel in the US Army, said she would push for the Senate to investigate the issue.
“Russia is secretly paying militants to kill US troops, Trump has known for months, but apparently done nothing to stop them. Meanwhile, he’s helping Russia’s effort to rejoin the G7,” she said.
“Our troops deserve to know what the Trump administration is doing to protect them, and why Donald Trump failed to take action in the first place.”
And General Michael Hayden, a former CIA director and frequent critic of Mr Trump, questioned why the President still hadn’t moved to punish Russia.
“Trump says he was not briefed about Russian bounties on American troops in Afghanistan. OK, fine. What is he doing about it now?” Gen Hayden said.
Originally published as Donald Trump claims he was not briefed about Russia putting ‘bounties’ on US soldiers