Chuck Ross, DCNF
A Republican lawmaker who attended a White House briefing Monday on intelligence related to an alleged Russia’s bounty program targeting American troops in Afghanistan accused The New York Times of publishing “unconfirmed” intelligence and derailing an ongoing investigation into the attacks.
“Having served in Afghanistan during the time the alleged bounties were placed, no one is angrier about this than me,” tweeted Indiana Rep. Jim Banks, who served in the U.S. Navy Reserve in Afghanistan in 2014 and 2015.
“Now it’s impossible to finish the investigation. All b/c the @nytimes will do anything to damage @realdonaldtrump, even if it means compromising nat’l security,” Banks also tweeted. “The blood is on their hands.”
Banks was one of a group of Republican lawmakers briefed by White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows and intelligence officials regarding a Times report from Friday that a Russian military intelligence unit was paying Taliban fighters to attack U.S. and Western service members in Afghanistan.
The Times also reported that President Donald Trump had been briefed on the intelligence in late March but failed to retaliate against the Russian government.
Trump and other White House officials vehemently denied that he was briefed on the intelligence. White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany said at a press briefing on Monday that Trump was not briefed on the information because it was not verified.
Banks provided the most detail on the record so far about the nature of the intelligence.
I just left the White House where I was briefed by CoS @MarkMeadows and top intelligence officials. They discussed @nytimes‘ hit piece falsely accusing @realDonaldTrump of ignoring reports that Russia placed bounties on American soldiers in Afghanistan.
A thread, 👇
— Jim Banks (@RepJimBanks) June 29, 2020
Other reports over the weekend and on Monday provided additional detail about the intelligence regarding the bounty program.
The Washington Post reported on Sunday that U.S. intelligence officials believe that several U.S. service members were killed in the attacks. The Times reported in a follow-up story on Sunday that U.S. intelligence officers and Special Operations forces in Afghanistan warned intelligence officials in January that captured Taliban fighters revealed details of the bounty program.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi called on CIA Director Gina Haspel and John Ratcliffe, the director of national intelligence, to brief all members of Congress about the alleged bounty program. Pelosi said she wanted to know whether Trump was briefed on the intelligence.
Content created by The Daily Caller News Foundation is available without charge to any eligible news publisher that can provide a large audience. For licensing opportunities of our original content, please contact [email protected].
DONATE TO BIZPAC REVIEW
Please help us! If you are fed up with letting radical big tech execs, phony fact-checkers, tyrannical liberals and a lying mainstream media have unprecedented power over your news please consider making a donation to BPR to help us fight them. Now is the time. Truth has never been more critical!
- The Florida candidate laser-focused on eradicating horrific animal crimes - March 22, 2024
- Sabo: ‘Rush was our GOAT, there was no equal and he made it look easy’ - February 18, 2024
- Dana Bash appears to want to crawl out of her own skin when Ramaswamy ‘goes there’ on J6 - December 7, 2023
Comment
We have no tolerance for comments containing violence, racism, profanity, vulgarity, doxing, or discourteous behavior. If a comment is spam, instead of replying to it please click the ∨ icon below and to the right of that comment. Thank you for partnering with us to maintain fruitful conversation.
BPR INSIDER COMMENTS
Scroll down for non-member comments or join our insider conversations by becoming a member. We'd love to have you!