Democrats Demand Further Information About Russia Bounties After White House Briefing

TOPLINE

Democrats are demanding more information about explosive allegations Russia offered bounties to militants in Afghanistan to kill U.S. soldiers and are calling for top Trump administration officials to testify, as the White House and President Trump continue to offer conflicting versions of events. 

KEY FACTS

Crucial quote

“What we need is a briefing by the Intelligence community to give us their assessment of the credibility of this information,” House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) told Politico at the Capitol Tuesday. “We did not receive any new substantive information about the intelligence.”

What to watch for 

A select group of Senate Republicans will be briefed separately by the White House on Tuesday. 

News peg

After the Times published its report on Friday, more information on the allegations has been reported. The Associated Press reported Tuesday that top White House officials were briefed about the Russia-bounty intelligence in early 2019 “a full year earlier than has been previously reported.” The intelligence was also listed in at least one daily intelligence briefing for Trump. The New York Times reported Tuesday that American intelligence officials intercepted data on wire transfers between Russia and the Taliban. 

Key background

The White House has claimed that Trump was not briefed and therefore not aware of the intelligence reports because of the uncertainty surrounding the information. On Saturday, the White House issued a carefully worded statement denying that Trump was briefed on the matter, adding that the statement does not “speak to the merit of the alleged intelligence.” Multiple officials told the New York Times that Trump received a written briefing about the intelligence in February. Russia and the Taliban have both denied the reports. The Russian embassy said Saturday the Times story was filled with “baseless and anonymous accusations” in a message on Twitter.

Further reading

Dems leave frustrated after White House briefing on Russian bounties (Politico)

White House briefs Republicans on Russian bounties (Politico)

Trump Denies Reports Russia Paid Taliban To Kill U.S. Troops (Forbes)

Russia Secretly Offered Afghan Militants Bounties to Kill U.S. Troops, Intelligence Says (New York Times)

Data on Financial Transfers Bolstered Suspicions That Russia Offered Bounties (New York Times)