The Trump administration, as well as its former intelligence chief, pushed back hard this weekend over a New York Times report claiming President Donald Trump had been briefed on an intelligence assessment that said a Russian military unit was doling out bounties to terrorists in Afghanistan when the terrorists killed members of the U.S.-led coalition.
According to The New York Times, a Russian military intelligence unit covertly offered the bounties for killing coalition troops in Afghanistan.
The Times, much of whose reporting was confirmed by The Wall Street Journal and The Washington Post, said it learned of the intelligence assessment from “officials briefed on the matter” who it did not name.
The Times report said it was uncertain which, if any, of the 20 American deaths in Afghanistan last year might have been linked to bounties paid by the Russians. The report said “Islamist militants, or armed criminal elements closely associated with them, are believed to have collected some bounty money.”
The intelligence assessment upon which The Times based its report was discussed in March by the National Security Council, according to the newspaper, which also claimed that Trump was briefed on the allegation.
Former Acting Director of National Intelligence Richard Grenell lashed out after Democratic Rep. Ted Lieu of California attacked Trump over the claim that the president had been briefed on the matter.
I never heard this. And it’s disgusting how you continue to politicize intelligence. You clearly don’t understand how raw intel gets verified. Leaks of partial information to reporters from anonymous sources is dangerous because people like you manipulate it for political gain. https://t.co/403X9AVGAC
— Richard Grenell (@RichardGrenell) June 27, 2020
...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
The Fake News @ nytimes must reveal its “anonymous” source. Bet they can’t do it, this “person” probably does not even exist! https://t.co/pdg4AjybOG
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 28, 2020
The allegation became political fodder after Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden used it to criticize Trump. “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,” Biden said during a virtual town hall event, according to The Times. read more here: https://thefederalistpapers.org/us/ex-nat-intelligence-director-grenell-speaks-russia-bounty-scandal-never-heard?fbclid=IwAR3z4DHK746ZjS43XIUXwRJmL2QcD4J-m605c2elAt1Lv5ciDeaSJcpTwd8
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