US congress leaders: did Trump know about Russia and the Taliban | Afghanistan News

Both of those Democrats and Republicans in the United States Congress on Monday demanded fast responses from the administration of President Donald Trump soon after media outlets claimed that US intelligence organizations have tied Russian reward offers to Taliban fighters immediately to the fatalities of US troopers.

It was unclear how quite a few American or coalition troops may well have been focused or killed below the Russian programme, according to a report in the Washington Write-up, but the intelligence stemmed from US military services interrogations of captured fighters and was handed up from US Particular Functions forces in Afghanistan.

The New York Times independently claimed that US intelligence officials believe that at minimum one particular American military dying stemmed from the rewards, citing two officers briefed on the subject.

The studies drew outrage from Trump critics who argued it was unconscionable for him to have recognized of a Russian work to get rid of US servicemen even though searching for to increase relations with Moscow.

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Intel just reported to me that they did not discover this data credible, and for that reason did not report it to me or @VP. Potentially a different fabricated Russia Hoax, possibly by the Fake Information @nytimesbooks, wanting to make Republicans appear poor!!! https://t.co/cowOmP7T1S

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— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 29, 2020

Trump sought to cast doubt on the Russian reward hard work, indicating on Sunday he was in no way briefed on the subject and that US intelligence officials explained to him this was for the reason that the information was not credible.

‘Lies’

The Kremlin on Monday also denied the report, to start with posted by the New York Periods on Friday, that Russian forces had offered to fork out Taliban-linked fighters to get rid of American and other Western troopers in Afghanistan.

“These allegations are lies,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov explained to reporters, incorporating that Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin experienced never reviewed the allegations.

Two US authorities resources acquainted with intelligence reporting and analysis confirmed to the Reuters Information Agency the existence of categorised US intelligence studies alleging the benefits. The resources indicated US authorities agencies and experts on balance believed the intelligence reporting to be credible.

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I am contacting for an fast briefing from the Directors of National Intelligence and the CIA for all 100 Senators on studies that Russia positioned bounties on US Troops in Afghanistan.

We also will need to know no matter if or not President Trump was advised this details, and if so, when.

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— Chuck Schumer (@SenSchumer) June 29, 2020

Speaker of the US Home of Representatives Nancy Pelosi wrote to the top rated two US intelligence officers on Monday and sought an speedy briefing for legislators.

“Congress and the place need responses now. I as a result request an interagency quick for all Home Members straight away,” Pelosi wrote in a letter to Director of Countrywide Intelligence John Ratcliffe and CIA Director Gina Haspel.

Congresswoman Liz Cheney of Wyoming, the Variety 3 Republican in the Dwelling, referred to as on the White Household to share much more information with Congress, saying, if accurate, legislators need to have to know: “Who did know and when?” and, referring to Russian leader Vladimir Putin: “What has been completed in response to safeguard our forces & hold Putin accountable?”

Democratic presumptive presidential nominee Joe Biden reported studies Trump was informed of the Russian benefits would be a “genuinely shocking revelation” about the commander in main.

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Vital Congress get to the bottom of the latest media reports that Russian GRU models in Afghanistan have available to pay the Taliban to eliminate American troopers with the objective of pushing The us out of the region. https://t.co/dm4QWATzgg

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— Lindsey Graham (@LindseyGrahamSC) June 27, 2020

White House spokeswoman Kayleigh McEnany explained to Fox Information customers of Congress would be briefed on the make a difference on Monday.

The New York Moments and the Linked Press news agency also reported US military services and intelligence officers were being reviewing earlier casualties to see whether they ended up tied to Moscow’s alleged payments.

A person incident beneath critique was an April 2019 attack by the Taliban on an American convoy that killed 3 US marines, the AP said, citing unidentified resources. Officials were being also probing whether or not $500,000 located all through a US raid on a Taliban outpost before this calendar year was tied to the programme, it included.