WASHINGTON, D.C., USA — President Donald Trump is denying that he'd been briefed on reported U.S. intelligence that a Russian military intelligence unit secretly offered bounties to Taliban-linked militants for killing American troops in Afghanistan.
And Trump is appearing to minimize the allegations against Moscow.
According to a New York Times report, American intelligence officials concluded months ago that Russian officials offered rewards for successful attacks on American service-members last year, at a time when the U.S. and Taliban were holding talks to end the long-running war.
Trump tweets that “Nobody briefed or told me” or Vice President Mike Pence or chief of staff Mark Meadows about “the so-called attacks on our troops in Afghanistan by Russians.”
On Sunday, U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown (D) Ohio gave this response when asked about the allegations that President Trump was aware of the intelligence:
“Even before he took office, President Trump has treated Putin like a friend rather than the despot he is. Putin’s manipulation of President Trump puts our country and the lives of our service members at risk. These reports underscore Russian aggression toward the United States and our servicemembers. It’s past time that President Trump hold Putin accountable.”
U.S. Congressperson Bob Latta (R) of Ohio's 5th District had this to say:
“If the media reports are true, this is deeply disturbing behavior from Russia, however, not completely surprising given their past behavior. That’s why I’ve consistently worked in Congress to confront Russia’s destabilizing actions on the world stage. I’ve voted to pass sanctions on Russia and ensure that our electric grid is safe from Russian cyber-attacks. Vladimir Putin and the Russian regime are not friends of the United States, and they should not be treated as such.”
WTOL also asked 9th District Congressperson Marcy Kaptur, OH Senator Rob Portman, and 4th District Congressperson Jim Jordan for comment but have not heard back.
