House chairman: There's 'clearly evidence' that Russia placed bounties on U.S. troops

[Boats]

House chairman: There's 'clearly evidence' that Russia placed bounties on U.S. troops in Afghanistan
By: Lauren Meier - The Washington Times News - 06-30-20
Re: https://www.washingtontimes.com/news...ssia-placed-b/

House Armed Services Committee Chairman Rep. Adam Smith on Tuesday said there was “clearly evidence” that Russian intelligence officers had placed bounties on U.S. and coalition soldiers.

His comments come hours after top Democratic lawmakers, including Mr. Smith, were briefed at the White House on reports that Russia had placed bounties on American troops in Afghanistan. They were briefed by White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows, Director of National Intelligence John Ratcliffe and National Security Adviser Robert O’Brien.

The Washington State Democrat told reporters on a phone call Tuesday morning that there was evidence presented that “the Russian government was paying bounties to Afghans to attack coalition partners, not just Americans.”

Mr. Smith said that while intelligence officials did not dispute that there is some evidence supporting the reported bounties, they also maintained that intelligence exists disputing the matter.

The Defense Department has also been informed of the allegations, and the Pentagon has taken “appropriate action” of informing force protection but has not found the reports to be credible, Mr. Smith said.

The chairman explained that while there are still answers surrounding the reports and evidence presented by the intelligence community, “there was clearly evidence that the Russians were paying the bounties as described.”

“The clear message that we got at the White House meeting this morning was that there is conflicting intelligence, and there are conflicting opinions within the intel community and within White House senior staff about how accurate the reporting that was in The New York Times about Russian bounties,” Mr. Smith continued.

The publication reported Friday that U.S. intelligence concluded months ago that Russian military intelligence agents had offered the bounties to militants linked to the Taliban. The paper said President Trump was briefed on the matter and that the National Security Council held a meeting about it in late March. Mr. Trump has since denied that he was briefed.

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Note: Basically there's not a whole lot one can say after reading this post!

Boats

[Boats]

DNC Veterans and Military Families Council on Trump’s Failure to Respond to Russian Bounties on American Troops
Date: 06-30-20
Re: https://democrats.org/news/dnc-veter...erican-troops/

DNC Veterans and Military Families Council Chair retired U.S. Navy Lt. Jan Donatelli and Vice Chairs former U.S. Army CPT Terron Sims and U.S. Navy veteran Leo Cruz released the following statement:

“The grave problem America faces is that Donald Trump bows to tyrants like Vladamir Putin. For several months, President Trump and his administration have sat on corroborated intelligence that Russia offered bounties to Taliban-linked militants to kill American troops, a conclusion that reportedly, and tragically, has been borne out. Trump’s failure to take action and his betrayal of American troops makes him a national security threat. Enough is enough. We must restore civility, trust, and competence to the White House by electing Joe Biden as our next president and commander in chief of the United States.”

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Personal note: Not much more one can say about this infraction.

Boats

[Boats]

NATO Officials Say They Were Briefed On Russian Bounties On US Soldiers in Afghanistan
By: Artivia Tahir - The Intellectualist News - 06-30-20


NATO officials reveal they were briefed on Russian bounties as WH continues to deny any knowledge

Three NATO officials have confirmed that they were briefed on intelligence revealing that Russia was offering cash bounties for the deaths of US personnel in Afghanistan, according to Business Insider.

* The White House has claimed that they were not aware of the matter, as White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnamy said that neither President Trump nor Vice President Pence had been briefed on the intelligence.

* Over the weekend, “Trump tweeted that US intelligence ‘did not find this info credible’ and did not report it to him or Pence, calling the Times report ‘possibly another fabricated Russia Hoax.’"

* In contrast, the three NATO officers stated that they were briefed by US intelligence, with one saying:

"We were briefed [by the Americans] on a potential threat to our troops in Afghanistan from operatives potentially linked to the Russian intelligence services. There is no indication that our troops — or any non-US NATO troops — have been targeted in these attacks, but all NATO services with casualties in Afghanistan over the past two years are currently checking for any connections."

* Insider reported that the intelligence “had been a closely-held secret for several months, until US officials began briefing UK and other European allies last week.”

The US is currently investigating multiple attacks against US troops in Afghanistan.

* One intelligence official, who is from Western Europe, revealed that there is evidence of Russian operatives in Afghanistan who have links to Unit 29155, a secretive Russian military intelligence group.

Here is the full report: Link: https://www.businessinsider.com/russ...-denies-2020-6

Per Trump: Three NATO officials say they had been briefed on intelligence that Russian operatives were secretly offering cash bounties to Taliban-linked militants for US casualties in Afghanistan — as President Donald Trump claimed he was not, and dismissed news reports on the intelligence as a "possibly another fabricated Russia Hoax."

https://www.businessinsider.com/ex-n...-denial-2020-6