- President Donald Trump was briefed on intelligence related to potential Russian bounties on US troops in Afghanistan, both the New York Times and the Associated Press reported on Monday.
- According to the AP, former national security adviser John Bolton told colleagues that he briefed Trump on the matter in March 2019.
- The New York Times reported on Monday that the intelligence was included in Trump's President's Daily Brief (PDB) in late February 2020.
- The New York Times first detailed intelligence that suspected Russia of secretly offering payment to Taliban-linked militants to kill coalition forces in Afghanistan.
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President Donald Trump was briefed on intelligence related to possible Russian bounties on US troops in Afghanistan, both The New York Times and Associated Press reported, though they each gave a different timeline.
US officials with direct knowledge of the intelligence told the AP that top officials in the White House were aware of the alleged Russian plot in early 2019, which was included in at least one of Trump's daily briefings.
Former national security adviser John Bolton also told colleagues that he briefed Trump on the matter in March 2019, according to the AP.
On Monday, The Times reported that Trump was provided with a written briefing on the matter in February 2020, saying it was included in Trump's President's Daily Brief. One official told The Times that the intelligence appeared in Trump's briefing in late February, another pinpointed the date to February 27.
The Times first detailed the intelligence briefing on Friday, citing unnamed intelligence officials as saying that Russia was thought to have covertly offered money to Taliban-linked militants to kill coalition forces in Afghanistan. The officials told The Times that Trump was made aware of the matter in March 2020 but chose not to act.
On Saturday, White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany said 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.
On Sunday, Trump denied knowing about the intelligence briefing, saying that the US intel "did not find this info credible" and did not report it to him or Pence. He called the Times report "possibly another fabricated Russia Hoax."
Russia has denied the allegations.
This is a developing story.
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