Top authorities in the White Home knew in early 2019 of categorized intelligence showing Russia was secretly using bounties to the Taliban for the deaths of Americans, a full year earlier than has actually been formerly reported, according to U.S. officials with direct understanding of the intelligence.
The assessment was consisted of in a minimum of among President Donald Trump‘s written daily intelligence rundowns at the time, according to the authorities. Then-national security consultant John Bolton also told associates he briefed Trump on the intelligence assessment in March2019
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The White Home did not react to questions about Trump or other authorities’ awareness of Russia’s provocations in2019 The White Home has actually said Trump was not– and still has not been– briefed on the intelligence assessments since they have actually not been totally validated.
Bolton declined to comment Monday when asked by the AP if he had informed Trump about the matter in2019 On Sunday, he recommended to NBC’s “Fulfill journalism” that Trump was claiming lack of knowledge of Russia’s provocations to validate his administration’s absence of a reaction.
” He can disown everything if no one ever told him about it,” Bolton said.
The revelations cast brand-new doubt on the White House’s efforts to distance Trump from the Russian intelligence evaluations. The AP reported Sunday that concerns about Russian bounties were likewise consisted of in a second written governmental everyday rundown previously this year and that existing national security consultant Robert O’Brien had gone over the matter with Trump.
The administration’s earlier awareness of the Russian efforts raises additional concerns about why Trump did not take any punitive action against Moscow for efforts that put the lives of Americans servicemembers at threat. Trump has sought throughout his time in office t