Joe.My.God. LGBT News
The Associated Press reports:
Top officials in the White House were aware in early 2019 of classified intelligence indicating Russia was secretly offering bounties to the Taliban for the deaths of Americans, a full year earlier than has been previously reported, according to U.S. officials with direct knowledge of the intelligence.
The assessment was included in at least one of President Donald Trump’s written daily intelligence briefings at the time, according to the officials. Then-national security adviser John Bolton also told colleagues he briefed Trump on the intelligence assessment in March 2019.
The White House did not respond to questions about Trump or other officials’ awareness of Russia’s provocations in 2019. The White House has said Trump was not — and still has not been — briefed on the intelligence assessments because they have not been fully verified.
The New York Times reports:
American officials provided a written briefing in late February to President Trump laying out their conclusion that a Russian military intelligence unit offered and paid bounties to Taliban-linked militants to kill U.S. and coalition troops in Afghanistan, two officials familiar with the matter said.
The investigation into the suspected Russian covert operation to incentivize such killings has focused in part on an April 2019 car bombing that killed three Marines as one such potential attack, according to multiple officials familiar with the matter.
The new information emerged as the White House tried on Monday to play down the intelligence assessment that Russia sought to encourage and reward killings — including reiterating a claim that Mr. Trump was never briefed about the matter and portraying the conclusion as disputed and dubious.
Check out the stupid GOP spin below. Democrats, not incidentally, were excluded from the briefing at the White House.
I just left the White House where I was briefed by CoS @MarkMeadows and top intelligence officials. They discussed @nytimes‘ hit piece falsely accusing @realDonaldTrump of ignoring reports that Russia placed bounties on American soldiers in Afghanistan.
A thread, ?
— Jim Banks (@RepJimBanks) June 29, 2020
The real scandal: We’ll likely never know the truth… Because the @nytimes used unconfirmed intel in an ONGOING investigation into targeted killing of American soldiers in order to smear the President. The blood is on their hands.
— Jim Banks (@RepJimBanks) June 29, 2020
Having served in Afghanistan during the time the alleged bounties were placed, no one is angrier about this than me.
Now it’s impossible to finish the investigation. All b/c the @nytimes will do anything to damage @realdonaldtrump, even if it means compromising nat’l security.
— Jim Banks (@RepJimBanks) June 29, 2020
Having served in Afghanistan during the time the alleged bounties were placed, no one is angrier about this than me.
Now it’s impossible to finish the investigation. All b/c the @nytimes will do anything to damage @realdonaldtrump, even if it means compromising nat’l security.
— Jim Banks (@RepJimBanks) June 29, 2020
Americans don’t buy the phony Russia-Trump-Collusion narrative.
THEY SEE President Trump’s rock solid record in support of our troops, our veterans & American exceptionalism. THEY SEE the media walk back claims of a Trump-Russia scandal over & over. So tired. Change it up!
— Jim Banks (@RepJimBanks) June 29, 2020
I just looked it up.
On the day Trump was supposedly briefed about Russian bounties for killing American soldiers, he was meeting with Diamond & Silk.
— Matt Fuller (@MEPFuller) June 30, 2020