Trump denies knowledge on alleged bounties against American troops in Afghanistan

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW:

• A New York Times report said Russian offered payments to Taliban militants who killed U.S forces in Afghanistan.
• Trump denies knowing about the intelligence report claimed by the outlet, saying American troops were seldomly attacked.
• Times also wrote that the president was briefed about the matter by intelligence authorities around March.

President Donald Trump said he hadn’t been informed about a U.S. intelligence report that a Russian counterpart unit covertly offered rewards against Taliban-associated militants. The said move is linked to the death of American forces stationed in Afghanistan, the president said on Sunday

On the same statement, Trump seemed to reproach the claim against Moscow.

The New York Times reported that several months ago, American intelligence authorities had already concluded that Russian representatives offered compensations for successful attacks on American service-staffers last year.

The said report occurred during a time when America and the Taliban sat down together, aiming to end the long-standing war.

In his tweet on Sunday morning, Trump explained that he, including Vice President Mike Pence and chief of staff Mark Meadows, was not told about Russia’s intel report.

Trump added everyone negates the report, adding that there are only a few accounted attacks against the U.S troops.

The White House released a statement on Saturday rebuffing that either the president or the vice president had been informed about such intelligence reports.

Press secretary Kayleigh McEnany clarified that the denial was not to discredit the said intelligence report; it questions the integrity New York Times story, which wrongly claimed President Trump was aware of the matter. 

John Ratcliffe, Trump administration’s national intelligence director, also confirmed that neither Trump nor Pence was informed about any intelligence report cited by the New York Times.

The reaction from Trump was following the comment a day before by former Vice President Joe Biden, who said that if the outlet’s report was accurate, it only shows the president failed to deal with Russia and was unsuccessful in protecting the U.S troops in Afghanistan.

Responding to the story, Russian Foreign Ministry said the claims were gibberish, adding that it was apparent how low propagandists can go only to discredit the capabilities of the American intelligence agencies.

A Taliban representative also mirrors the same sentiments by the Russians by saying the militants object to the allegation, and noting that they are not beholden to any intelligence agencies in other countries.

John Bolton, a former Trump administration national security adviser fired last September, told “Meet the Press,” an NBC show, that he finds it extraordinary that the president went out of his way to deny the report.

Bolton, who currently wrote a memoir detailing his stay at the White House, also claimed during NBC’s Sunday program that there was active Russian aggression against American service staffers going on for months, but nothing has done about it.

The Times said its sources are anonymous officials aware of the intelligence reports, adding it was presented in late March to Trump by his National Security Council officers.

Source: AOL