Trump never briefed on Russia bounty matter: WH
Russian bounty offers to Taliban militants are believed to have led to the death of at least one U.S. soldier in Afghanistan, according to American intelligence, two newspapers reported, and Congress on Monday demanded more information about the reports.
The Washington Post reported late on Sunday that several American soldiers are believed to have died as a result of the Russian program, which the Kremlin has denied and which U.S. President Donald Trump has said he was never briefed on.
The Post said the intelligence stemmed from U.S. military interrogations of captured militants and was passed up from U.S. Special Operations forces in Afghanistan.
Separately, the New York Times reported U.S. intelligence officials believe at least one American military death stemmed from the bounties, citing two officials briefed on the matter. Reuters could not immediately confirm the reports.
The newspaper articles drew outrage from Trump critics who argued it would have been unconscionable for the Republican president to have known of a Russian effort to kill American servicemen while seeking to improve relations with Moscow.
Trump sought to cast doubt on the Russian bounty effort, saying on Sunday he was never briefed on the matter and U.S. intelligence officials told him this was because the information was not credible.
A New York Times report on the Russian program on Friday cited unnamed officials as saying the intelligence finding was briefed to Trump and the National Security Council discussed the problem at an interagency meeting in late March.
Four U.S. government sources familiar with intelligence reporting and analysis confirmed to Reuters the existence of classified U.S. intelligence reports alleging that a Russian military intelligence unit had offered bounties to Taliban-linked militants to kill U.S. and allied forces in Afghanistan.
The sources indicated U.S. government agencies and experts on balance believed the intelligence reporting to be credible. The sources did not confirm Trump's assertions that intelligence agencies had somehow declared the reporting was not credible.
