President Donald Trump is denying knowledge of an arrangement in which Russian military officials reportedly offered to secretly pay Taliban fighters for killing American troops in Afghanistan. <\/p>\n
A pair of explosive<\/a> reports<\/a> from the New York Times indicates that United States officials learned months ago of a Russian intelligence unit secretly offering bounties to the Taliban for killing US and other coalition forces in Afghanistan, as peace talks to end the war continue. American spies and commandos reportedly told their superiors about the plot as early as January, after discovering a Taliban outpost rife with US cash. <\/p>\n The reports come amid ongoing efforts to pull American troops out<\/a> of Afghanistan following a peace deal reached earlier this year, which would bolster the president\u2019s reelection campaign. The situation has now sparked questions from both Democrats and Trump allies. <\/p>\n According to the Times, American intelligence officials told the president about the findings in March and offered a number of options for reprimanding Russia, including escalating sanctions or issuing diplomatic complaints. But Trump didn\u2019t choose to retaliate at all, instead apparently ignoring what intelligence suggested was an unprecedented Russian attack on US troops \u2014 and a significant escalation of the country\u2019s support for the Taliban. <\/p>\n Twenty Americans were killed in Afghanistan in 2019 and four others were killed in early 2020, though the Taliban has not attacked any American bases since February. It\u2019s unclear which killings may be connected to the Russian plot or whether any bounties were actually paid.<\/p>\n National Intelligence Director John Ratcliffe denied that the president had been briefed on the issue on Saturday, though he didn\u2019t dispute the veracity of the Russian bounty plot. White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany also issued a statement Saturday saying Trump did not receive a briefing but that \u201cdoes not speak to the merit of the alleged intelligence.\u201d<\/p>\n Trump followed suit on Sunday morning, tweeting that nobody briefed him, Vice President Mike Pence or Chief of Staff Mark Meadows about the scheme. The Russian embassy and the Taliban have also denied the Times report<\/a>. <\/p>\n …Nobody\u2019s 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\u2019s Hunter? Probably just another phony Times hit job, just like their failed Russia Hoax. Who is their \u201csource\u201d?<\/p>\n \u2014 Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 28, 2020<\/a>\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n Trump added, \u201cNobody\u2019s been tougher on Russia than the Trump Administration.\u201d<\/p>\n However, while some of Trump\u2019s advisers have pushed for more stringent policies toward Russia, Trump has consistently been more amenable to the country\u2019s authoritarian leadership. <\/p>\n Trump has indicated that he believes<\/a> Russian President Vladimir Putin\u2019s assertion that the country did not interfere in the 2016 US elections, questioning his own intelligence officials who have said otherwise. He has reportedly suggested multiple times<\/a> that the US should pull out of NATO, which would be a massive win for Russia and a significant blow to US allies in Europe. And in 2017 when Congress passed new sanctions<\/a> on Russia related to its election interference with a veto-proof majority, Trump reluctantly signed the bill and implied it was unconstitutional. <\/p>\n If Trump was briefed in March, the timing was not good for him. He was reportedly told about the plot just as the coronavirus<\/a> was beginning to explode throughout the country, and the president \u2014 facing reelection in November \u2014 hopes to complete the peace deal<\/a> with the Taliban in order to put an end to the war in Afghanistan. <\/p>\n Despite Trump\u2019s assertion that \u201ceverybody\u201d is denying the Times\u2019s reporting, intelligence experts\u2019 responses varied over the weekend. <\/p>\n Richard Grenell, former acting director of national intelligence, wrote a series of tweets Sunday arguing that the reporting is false. \u201cNo one would be fine with this if it were true,\u201d he wrote<\/a>. <\/p>\n Former National Security Adviser John Bolton told NBC<\/a> that it would be \u201cdisturbing\u201d if officials hadn\u2019t told the president about the issue if the intelligence was reliable. \u201cIf there\u2019s any accuracy to it,\u201d Bolton said, \u201cthat is a very, very serious matter.\u201d <\/p>\n Democrats, meanwhile, expressed outrage over the findings. Former Vice President Joe Biden, the presumptive Democratic nominee for president, derided Trump at a campaign event for not punishing Russia. <\/p>\n \u201cHis entire presidency has been a gift to Putin, but this is beyond the pale,\u201d Biden said during a virtual town hall Saturday. \u201cIt\u2019s a betrayal of the most sacred duty we bear as a nation, to protect and equip our troops when we send them into harm\u2019s way.\u201d<\/p>\n Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi told ABC\u2019s This Week<\/em> that she was not aware of the intelligence reports on the Russian plan, despite being one of the \u201cGang of Eight\u201d congressional leaders who are regularly briefed on intelligence matters. However, she said, \u201cit\u2019s totally outrageous\u201d that the president did not respond to news of the scheme.<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t know what the Russians have on the president politically, personally, financially, whatever it is,\u201d Pelosi said. \u201cThe president wants to ignore any allegation against Russia.\u201d<\/p>\n Other Democrats questioned the likelihood that the president wouldn\u2019t be looped in on a matter of such severity. Sen. Tim Kaine (D-VA), Hillary Clinton\u2019s former running mate, said<\/a> Trump was \u201ccozying up to Putin,\u201d while his administration knew of the Russian scheme. Sen. Chris Murphy (D-CT) tweeted<\/a> that Ratcliffe \u201cis lying (which is a massive problem) or the DNI withheld earthshaking information from President Trump,\u201d which is also a problem. <\/p>\n The Times reported earlier this year<\/a> that it\u2019s difficult for intelligence officials to keep Trump\u2019s attention when briefings are provided. Ten current and former intelligence officials who spoke with the Times said he is easily distracted, veers off on tangents, and rarely reads the reports, instead relying on conservative media or friends for information. <\/p>\n Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC), a reliable supporter of the president\u2019s, said on Twitter<\/a> that he expects the administration \u201cto take such allegations seriously.\u201d Rep. Liz Cheney (R-WY), chair of the House Republican Conference, wrote<\/a> that Trump \u201cmust explain\u201d why he wasn\u2019t briefed, who did know and when, and \u201cwhat has been done in response.\u201d<\/p>\n Now that Trump does know about the alleged plot, it\u2019s unclear whether he will choose to take action, but some of his supporters are looking for answers. The president has long had a soft spot for Putin<\/a> \u2014 one of the reasons Democrats and other critics are eyeing his denial with suspicion. It remains to be seen whether Trump will choose to act against the Russian leader he has often praised.<\/p>\n Support Vox\u2019s explanatory journalism<\/strong><\/p>\n Every day at Vox, we aim to answer your most important questions and provide you, and our audience around the world, with information that has the power to save lives. Our mission has never been more vital than it is in this moment: to empower you through understanding. Vox\u2019s work is reaching more people than ever, but our distinctive brand of explanatory journalism takes resources \u2014 particularly during a pandemic and an economic downturn. Your financial contribution will not constitute a donation, but it will enable our staff to continue to offer free articles, videos, and podcasts at the quality and volume that this moment requires. Please consider making a contribution to Vox today<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n
Top Democrats condemn Trump\u2019s denial, Republicans question what\u2019s next, and intelligence officials are mixed<\/h3>\n
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