- President Donald Trump denied that he knew about reports of Russia secretly offering bounties to Taliban-linked militants to kill coalition forces in Afghanistan.
- The New York Times detailed the alleged Russian plot on Friday and claimed that Trump was made aware of the matter in March but chose not to act.
- In a tweet on Sunday, Trump said that US intel "did not find this info credible," and therefore did not report it to him or Pence. He called The Times report "possibly another fabricated Russia Hoax."
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President Donald Trump on Sunday denied that he knew about reports of Russia secretly offering bounties for US troops in Afghanistan, saying that intelligence did not find the information "credible."
The New York Times detailed the alleged Russian plot on Friday, which, according to The Times, involved covertly offering money to Taliban-linked militants to kill coalition forces in Afghanistan. The Times report claimed that Trump was made aware of the matter in March but chose not to act.
On Saturday, White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany said that neither Trump nor Vice President Mike Pence had been briefed on the intelligence.
"The United States receives thousands of intelligence reports a day, and they are subject to strict scrutiny," McEnany said.
In a tweet on Sunday, Trump said that US intel "did not find this info credible," and therefore did not report it to him or Pence. He called The Times report "possibly another fabricated Russia Hoax."
Intel just reported to me that they did not find this info credible, and therefore did not report it to me or @VP. Possibly another fabricated Russia Hoax, maybe by the Fake News @nytimesbooks, wanting to make Republicans look bad!!! https://t.co/cowOmP7T1S
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 29, 2020
In an earlier tweet, Republican Senator Lindsey Graham said it was "imperative Congress get to the bottom" of The Times' report.
On Saturday, former Vice President and Trump's 2020 rival Joe Biden said at a virtual town hall that the report indicated that Trump betrayed his duties as president.
"It's a betrayal of the most sacred duty we bear as a nation to protect and equip our troops when we send them into harm's way," Biden said. "It's a betrayal of every single American family with a loved one serving in Afghanistan or anywhere overseas."
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