Democrats urge Russia sanctions if bounty reports are true
(Rep. Steny Hoyer): "The president called this a hoax publicly. Nothing in the briefing that we have just received led me to believe it is a hoax,"
Top House Democrats on Tuesday emerged from a White House briefing critical of President Trump, and urged his administration to weigh new sanctions on the Kremlin over alleged Russian payments to the Talibon to kill U.S. soldiers in Afghanistan.
Chairman of the House Intelligence Committee Rep. Adam Schiff said Trump should be looking to impose costs on Russian President Vladimir Putin, not court him to attend the G7.
"The president of the United States should not be inviting Russia into the G7 or G8. We should be considering what sanctions are appropriate to further deter Russia's malign activities, not further ingratiating Russia into the community of civilized nations."
The White House has said Trump did not receive a personal briefing on the issue and has not yet made clear whether he had received a written briefing, whether he had read it, and why he had not responded more aggressively if he had.
The White House has said Trump did not receive a personal briefing on the issue before this week and has not yet made clear whether he ever received a written briefing, whether he had read it, and why he had not responded more aggressively if he had."
Democrats expressed concerns over whether the information was not briefed earlier to the president at all:
(Rep. Adam Schiff): "His responsibility as Commander-in-Chief is to protect our troops and I share the concern at the White House today that many of us have that there may be reluctance to brief the president on things he doesn't want to hear and that may be more true with respect to Putin and Putin's Russia than any other subject matter.."
But Representative Adam Smith, the chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, said after the briefing that he believed Trump must have at least been aware of the alleged Russian payments.
White House officials briefed Democratic lawmakers a day after sharing information with Republicans. At least two Republicans said they still had concerns after the meeting.
Four U.S. government sources have confirmed to Reuters weekend media reports that credible U.S. intelligence reports suggested a Russian military intelligence unit offered bounties to Talibon-linked militants to kill U.S. and allied forces.
Subsequent reports in the New York Times and Washington Post said at least one American soldier was believed to have died as a result of the program, which the Kremlin has denied.
