White House denies Trump briefed on 'Russia Afghanistan assassination plot'
New York Times claims
Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inbox
Get our free Inside Washington email
The White House has denied reports that Donald Trump ignored a warning from US intelligence that the Russian military had offered bounties to Taliban-linked militants in Afghanistan to kill American troops and other coalition forces.
The New York Times reported the claim on Friday, triggering a storm of accusations that the president had failed to protect US and allied troops, including those from Britain.
Citing officials briefed on the matter, the Times said the US determined months ago that a Russian military intelligence unit linked to assassination attempts in Europe had offered rewards for successful attacks last year.
Islamist militants, or armed criminal elements closely associated with them, are believed to have collected some bounty money, the newspaper said. The White House, the CIA and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence initially declined requests from Reuters for comment on the report.
On Saturday afternoon, the White House denied Mr Trump had been briefed on the matter, but did not dispute that US troops were being targetted, something likely to give the story further life.
“The United States receives thousands of intelligence reports a day and they are subject to strict scrutiny. While the White House does not routinely comment on alleged intelligence or internal deliberations, the CIA Director, National Security Advisor, and the Chief of Staff can all confirm that neither the President nor the Vice President were briefed on the alleged Russian bounty intelligence," press secretary Kayleigh Mcenany said in a statement.
"This does not speak to the merit of the alleged intelligence but to the inaccuracy of the New York Times story erroneously suggesting that President Trump was briefed on this matter.”
See below to see how the drama played out:
Please allow the blog a moment to load
Daughter of Republican candidate urges residents not to vote for him
The daughter of a Republican state representative candidate in Michigan has urged residents not to vote for her father in a tweet that has gone viral.
The post from Stephanie Regan, which has received more than 37,000 retweets since it was posted on Tuesday, urges anyone who is 18 or above not to vote for her father Robert Regan.
“If you’re in Michigan and 18+ pls for the love of god do not vote for my dad for state rep tell everyone,” the tweet reads.
Read more:
A third of black Americans know someone who has died of Covid-19
Nearly one in three black Americans know someone personally who has died of Covid-19, far exceeding their white counterparts, according to a Washington Post-Ipsos poll that underscores the coronavirus pandemic’s profoundly disparate impact.
The nationwide survey finds that 31 per cent of black adults say they know someone firsthand who has been killed by the virus, compared with 17 per cent of adults who are Hispanic and 9 per cent who are white.
Adding in those who know someone with symptoms consistent with Covid-19, slightly more than half of black Americans say they know at least one person who has gotten sick or died of the disease caused by the novel coronavirus. Fewer than four in 10 white or Hispanic Americans say they do.
Read more:
Donald Trump has tweeted in defence of his administration's attempts to invalidate Obamacare, which provides health insurance to millions of Americans.
The US president claims he will provide a "much less expensive alternative" and will "always, always, always" protect pre-existing conditions.
US imposing visa restrictions on Chinese officials curbing Hong Kong freedoms, Pompeo says
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Friday that Washington was imposing visa restrictions on Chinese officials responsible for restricting freedoms in Hong Kong, but he did not name any of those targeted.
The move comes ahead of a three-day meeting of China’s parliament from Sunday expected to enact new national security legislation for Hong Kong that has alarmed foreign governments and democracy activists.
The US visa restrictions apply to “current and former” Chinese Communist Party officials “believed to be responsible for, or complicit in, undermining Hong Kong’s high degree of autonomy,” Mr Pompeo said, without naming them.
Read more:
New York prison guards to be disciplined over death of transgender woman
Seventeen New York City correction officers, including a captain, will be disciplined for their roles in the death just over a year ago of a 27-year-old transgender woman at the Rikers Island jail complex, officials said Friday.
In announcing the action, mayor Bill de Blasio said the captain and three other officers had been suspended without pay immediately for their conduct in the death of the woman, Layleen Polanco, who was found unresponsive in her cell after having an epileptic seizure.
“What happened to Layleen was absolutely unacceptable and it is critical that there is accountability,” Mr de Blasio said in a statement.
Read more:
Donald Trump is now sharing multiple tweets by a QAnon conspiracy theorist, the first of which misleadingly suggests the current president has been involved in no scandals.
The second tweet is a defence of Mr Trump's demeanour after his first rally in months in Tulsa last weekend. The president was widely mocked after only 6,000 or so supporters turned up to an event his campaign claimed had attracted more than a million requests.
For everything you need to know about the bizarre, but worryingly influential QAnon conspiracy theory, head here.
Russian military offered bounties on US troops, Trump does not authorise steps against Kremlin
US intelligence has concluded that the Russian military offered bounties to Taliban-linked militants in Afghanistan to kill American troops and other coalition forces, the New York Times reported on Friday.
Citing officials briefed on the matter, the Times said the US determined months ago that a Russian military intelligence unit linked to assassination attempts in Europe had offered rewards for successful attacks last year.
Islamist militants, or armed criminal elements closely associated with them, are believed to have collected some bounty money, the newspaper said.
The White House, the CIA and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence declined requests from Reuters for comment on the Times report.
President Donald Trump has been briefed on the intelligence finding, the Times said. It said the White House has yet to authorise any steps against Russia in response to the bounties.
Of the 20 Americans killed in combat in 2019, the Times said, it was not clear which deaths were under suspicion.
After nearly 20 years of fighting the Taliban, the United States is looking for a way to extricate itself from Afghanistan and to achieve peace between the US-backed government and the militant group, which controls swathes of the country.
On 29 February, the US and the Taliban struck a deal that called for a phased US troop withdrawal.
US troop strength in Afghanistan is down to nearly 8,600, well ahead of a schedule agreed with the Taliban, in part because of concerns about the spread of the coronavirus, US and Nato officials said in late May.
Reuters
David Rothkopf, a former official in the Clinton administration, has accused Donald Trump of "traitorous behaviour" over his apparent refusal to punish Russia over secret bounties offered to militants for the deaths of US troops in Afghanistan.
Brian Schatz, a Democratic senator for Hawaii, has tweeted about the "damning and shocking" New York Times story detailed below regarding Russian military personnel putting bounties on the heads of US service members in Afghanistan.
After saying he would cancel plans to go to his New Jersey golf course and stay in Washington DC this weekend to make sure "law and order" is enforced, it appears Donald Trump has changed his mind again.
US journalists report the president has just arrived at one of his other golf courses in Virginia.
Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article
Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies