Bombshells bursting in air:
Top officials in the White House were aware in early 2019 of classified intelligence indicating Russia was secretly offering bounties to the Taliban for the deaths of Americans, a full year earlier than has been previously reported, according to U.S. officials with direct knowledge of the intelligence.
The assessment was included in at least one of President Donald Trump’s written daily intelligence briefings at the time, according to the officials. Then-national security adviser John Bolton also told colleagues he briefed Trump on the intelligence assessment in March 2019.
The White House didn’t respond to questions about Trump or other officials’ awareness of Russia’s provocations in 2019. The White House has said Trump wasn’t — and still hasn’t been — briefed on the intelligence assessments because they haven’t been fully verified. However, it’s rare for intelligence to be confirmed without a shadow of a doubt before it is presented to top officials. [snip]
The administration’s earlier awareness of the Russian efforts raises additional questions about why Trump didn’t take punitive action against Moscow for efforts that put the lives of American service members at risk. Trump has sought throughout his time in office to improve relations with Russia and President Vladimir Putin, moving this year to try to reinstate Russia as part of a group of world leaders it had been kicked out of. (our emphasis)(You probably noted the name "John Bolton" in the above account. This latest bombshell has "To DJT with love from JB" chalked all over it.)
The longer time line makes White (Supremacist) House denials that Putin's puppet wasn't made aware of the Russian bounties even more risible than it was previously, especially the fact that it was included in at least one presidential daily briefing, as well as in Bolton's March 2019 briefing.
It will all come out, as these things always do. But, it's highly unfortunate (to say the least) that it took more than a year for people to finally leak the fact that Putin was paying the Taliban to kill American troops and Putin's puppet and his rotted- out regime did nothing to push back. Especially one person. Something something book deal?
BONUS:
EXCLUSIVE: Data intercepts showed GRU-to-Taliban $ transfers & a key intermediary fled to Russia, bolstering earlier detainee accounts about a Russian bounty op. Trump WH omitted in its briefing to GOP lawmakers as it downplayed intel as murky/contested. https://t.co/bmMd4V7Fjt
— Charlie Savage (@charlie_savage) June 30, 2020
