U.S. Intelligence Officials Hold Briefing On Allegations Russia Offered Bounties To Taliban

[Elderberry]

Radio Free Europe 7/2/2020

U.S. Intelligence Officials Hold Briefing On Allegations Russia Offered Bounties To Taliban

A bipartisan group of U.S. lawmakers has been briefed by senior intelligence officials following reports alleging Russia paid the Taliban bounties to kill U.S. troops in Afghanistan.

Lawmakers from the Democratic and Republican parties have demanded more information about the alleged bounty scheme and whether any bounties were paid for the death of U.S. troops. Many have called for sanctions against Russia, if the allegations are true.

The top intelligence officials who spoke with the lawmakers in a classified briefing on Capitol Hill included CIA Director Gina Haspel and Director of National Intelligence John Ratcliffe.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (Democrat-California), who participated in the gathering, told reporters that U.S. sanctions on Russia should be beefed up to include the country's intelligence and defense sectors.

Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer said that "independent of the briefing, I don't think the president is close to tough enough on Vladimir Putin."

U.S. President Donald Trump on July 1 reiterated that he was not told about the reported Russian effort to get the Taliban to kill U.S. soldiers because many U.S. intelligence officials doubted it was true.

More: https://www.rferl.org/a/u-s-intelligence-officials-to-hold-classified-briefing-on-allegations-russia-offered-bounties-to-taliban/30701899.html

[PeteS in CA]

U.S. Intel walks back claim about Russia paying bounties for death of American soldiers

https://hotair.com/john-s-2/2021/04/15/u-s-intel-walks-back-claim-about-russia-paying-bounties-for-death-of-american-soldiers-n383562

This became a huge story when it broke last summer in the NY Times:

American intelligence officials have concluded that a Russian military intelligence unit secretly offered bounties to Taliban-linked militants for killing coalition forces in Afghanistan — including targeting American troops — amid the peace talks to end the long-running war there, according to officials briefed on the matter.

But today the Daily Beast reports that the intelligence community is now walking back that claim:

Another anti-Trump hit-narrative being acknowledged as false ... now that he's out of office.