President Donald Trump on Saturday dismissed a New York Times story that said Russia secretly offered bounties to reward Taliban-linked forces for killing United States and coalition troops in Afghanistan.
The story, published Friday, cites “officials briefed on the matter” as the sources for the report.
President Donald Trump walks to the White House residence after exiting Marine One on the South Lawn on June 25, 2020 in Washington, DC. President Trump traveled to Wisconsin on Thursday for a Fox News town hall event and a visit to a shipbuilding manufacturer. (Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images)
In a series of tweets, Trump said, “Nobody briefed or told me, [Vice President Mike Pence] or [Chief of Staff Mark Meadows] about the so-called attacks on our troops in Afghanistan by Russians, reported through an ‘anonymous source’ by the Fake News @nytimes. Everybody is denying it & there have not been many attacks on us…..” (RELATED: Trump Unleashes CIA Kill Teams In Afghanistan)
Nobody briefed or told me, @VP Pence, or Chief of Staff @MarkMeadows about the so-called attacks on our troops in Afghanistan by Russians, as reported through an “anonymous source” by the Fake News @nytimes. Everybody is denying it & there have not been many attacks on us…..
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 28, 2020
Trump suggested that “Nobody’s been tougher on Russia than the Trump Administration. With Corrupt Joe Biden & Obama, Russia had a field day, taking over important parts of Ukraine — Where’s Hunter [Biden]? Probably just another phony Times hit job, just like their failed Russia Hoax. Who is their ‘source’?” (RELATED: Trump To Tucker: ‘I Would Just Like To Get Out’ Of Afghanistan)
…Nobody’s been tougher on Russia than the Trump Administration. With Corrupt Joe Biden & Obama, Russia had a field day, taking over important parts of Ukraine – Where’s Hunter? Probably just another phony Times hit job, just like their failed Russia Hoax. Who is their “source”?
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 28, 2020
According to the Times story, “the United States concluded months ago that the Russian unit, which has been linked to assassination attempts and other covert operations in Europe … had covertly offered rewards for successful attacks last year” but does not indicate whether any U.S. fatalities in Afghanistan can be linked to the alleged bounties.
Republican Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul recently compared the tearing down of statues to Taliban-like behavior.
