Get 40% Off
🤯 This Tech Portfolio is up 29% YTD! Join Now to Get April’s Top PicksGet The Picks – Just 99 USD

Trump denies being told about Russian bounties to kill U.S. troops in Afghanistan

Published 06/28/2020, 10:14 AM
Updated 06/29/2020, 12:05 AM
© Reuters. U.S. President Trump hosts workforce advisory board meeting at the White House in Washington

© Reuters. U.S. President Trump hosts workforce advisory board meeting at the White House in Washington

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Donald Trump said on Sunday he was never briefed about the reported Russian efforts to pay bounties to Taliban-linked militants to kill U.S. troops in Afghanistan, blasting a New York Times report on the bounties.

"Nobody briefed or told me, @VP Pence, or Chief of Staff @MarkMeadows about the so-called attacks on our troops in Afghanistan by Russians," Trump tweeted, calling on the newspaper to name its anonymous source. "Everybody is denying it & there have not been many attacks on us."

In a separate tweet late on Sunday, Trump added: "Intel (NASDAQ:INTC) just reported to me that they did not find this info credible, and therefore did not report it to me or @VP."

The Times reported on Friday that U.S. intelligence had concluded that a Russian military intelligence unit linked to assassination attempts in Europe had offered rewards for successful attacks last year on American and coalition soldiers, and that Islamist militants were believed to have collected some bounty money.

The White House and Director of National Intelligence on Saturday denied the report. Russia's foreign ministry also dismissed it.

On Sunday, the newspaper published an additional report saying U.S. intelligence and Special Operations forces in Afghanistan alerted superiors as early as January to the suspected Russian plot to pay bounties, citing officials briefed on the matter.

House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi, part of the so-called Gang of Eight lawmakers who receive frequent intelligence briefings, said she was not aware of the assessment and called for Congress to be briefed.

Pelosi cited the New York Times' reporting and Trump's denial as more evidence of the president ignoring allegations against Russia to accommodate President Vladimir Putin.

"There is something very wrong here. But this must have an answer," she said on ABC News, adding that Trump has already supported Putin by diminishing U.S. leadership in NATO, reducing U.S. forces in Germany and inviting Russia back into the G8.

Pelosi and House Intelligence chairman Adam Schiff also questioned why, if Trump's claims were true, he was not told about the bounty offer.

"If he was briefed and still wanted Russia back in the G-8, it's even worse," Schiff tweeted.

Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer urged tough sanctions against Russia in the defense bill that the Senate will debate this week.

© Reuters. U.S. President Trump hosts workforce advisory board meeting at the White House in Washington

"There's obviously more to this story, but it is pretty remarkable the president's going out of his way to say he hasn't heard anything about it," Trump's former national security adviser John Bolton told NBC News.

Latest comments

i thought we sold stingers to the Taliban when russia invaded
we gave money to the ukrain to buy some
looks like Maga's been smacked by a siberian bear in this photo
Well... the US DID fund a counter-insurgency against Russia in Afghanistan
Everyone knows trump is a liar and a traitor...they either care or they dont. I, personally care and want the chaos to stop and for all of us to be able to breathe again. If only trump would do the right thing and resign....we already know the Republican Senate wont do their job. Bill Barr, Donald Trump, Mitch McConnell, Stephen Miller, Lindsey Graham all need to be voted out for good.
how would you know holly? the previous administration, for a fact ,was filled with corruption. your hatred for our president is a ridiculous posture if he"s not reelected America will be in serious trouble
Headline should read "Trump was not told of Russian bounties". Socialist anarchist Canadian Reuters should be removed from the country. They are foreign propaganda agents seeking to overthgrow our government.
Reuters is the worst.
"Socialist anarchist"? By their very definition these two words together make no sense. lol.
i strongly encourage democrats to keep up with the russia collusion thing. has worked out so well for them.
Trump first instinct is to deny. He did not make attempts to unddrstand where the loopholes are..
you mean like bide.n and tara reade? or biden and his son's position on the corrupt saudi oil firm" or biden when he said he did not criticize trump for limiting travel from china back in january? or biden when he denied passing tough on crime legislation that harmed black communities?
Trump is smart ,he don't wont war with Russia because of fake news and no worth Pelosi
this is so very fake. pelosi knows is a lie nevertheless acts like is truth. maybe she wants a war with rusia.
That’s how she operates.
Risk Disclosure: Trading in financial instruments and/or cryptocurrencies involves high risks including the risk of losing some, or all, of your investment amount, and may not be suitable for all investors. Prices of cryptocurrencies are extremely volatile and may be affected by external factors such as financial, regulatory or political events. Trading on margin increases the financial risks.
Before deciding to trade in financial instrument or cryptocurrencies you should be fully informed of the risks and costs associated with trading the financial markets, carefully consider your investment objectives, level of experience, and risk appetite, and seek professional advice where needed.
Fusion Media would like to remind you that the data contained in this website is not necessarily real-time nor accurate. The data and prices on the website are not necessarily provided by any market or exchange, but may be provided by market makers, and so prices may not be accurate and may differ from the actual price at any given market, meaning prices are indicative and not appropriate for trading purposes. Fusion Media and any provider of the data contained in this website will not accept liability for any loss or damage as a result of your trading, or your reliance on the information contained within this website.
It is prohibited to use, store, reproduce, display, modify, transmit or distribute the data contained in this website without the explicit prior written permission of Fusion Media and/or the data provider. All intellectual property rights are reserved by the providers and/or the exchange providing the data contained in this website.
Fusion Media may be compensated by the advertisers that appear on the website, based on your interaction with the advertisements or advertisers.
© 2007-2024 - Fusion Media Limited. All Rights Reserved.