Russia offered bounty to Afghan militants to kill US soldiers and Trump knew

[zorkuus]

Yeah, with Trump’s team, I doubt there would be 1.

IF there was one, he would "resign" within the day.

[Rustedsaint]

More crap that will follow trump wherever he goes after he gone.
Not really surprised about Russia placing bounties it’s not like the USA/others haven’t done the exact same thing.

[Breccia]

I don't know if this has been discussed, but, other news agencies have other sources confirming the story.

The U.S. has gathered intelligence that Russian intelligence officers have offered to pay bounties to Taliban fighters who kill Americans, three people briefed on the matter told NBC News.

The intelligence has been shared with Congressional leaders and with the British government, the sources said. However, a senior defense official downplayed the intelligence reporting to NBC News, saying there was no evidence any bounty was actually paid.

Fucking who cares? If I offer you $100,000 to kill Adam Sandler and you do it, whether or not I actually pay you is not really the most important feature of the story.

According to The NYTimes, the reporting was described in the President's Daily Brief, a written summary of high-level national security matters. NBC News has not confirmed whether Trump was given a briefing on the matter, but it would be unusual if top officials did not verbally brief the president on something this explosive.

Former national security adviser John Bolton told NBC's "Meet the Press" on Sunday that it would be "disturbing" if officials hadn't briefed the president on the matter.

NBC News' sources were not able to make clear how persuasive the intelligence is. One source told The Times that the assessment was based in part on interviews with Afghan detainees. That alone would not prove the case, but the U.S. would almost certainly have tried to get communications intercepts from the Russians that shed light. In the past, the National Security Agency has had success penetrating Russia's military intelligence unit, the GRU.

Again, while I don't think this is the case, I am open to the possibility of Trump never being told. That would be a colossal fuckup. Anyone who values the troops, or even claims to value the troops, should demand an investigation into why the Commander in Chief wasn't told about this direct threat against them. We should demand an answer, even if the answer is "we didn't think the threat was credible enough to waste his time".

[solinari6]

According to this, congressional leaders were briefed on it. Who they are, and why they wouldn't have briefed Trump is a mystery.

Three people briefed on the matter confirmed the U.S. had indeed gathered the intelligence, which was first reported by The New York Times, although there's no telling how persuasive it is — one source said the assessment was based in part on interviews with Afghan detainees, which wouldn't alone prove the findings, and a senior defense official told NBC News there was no evidence bounties were actually ever paid. But agencies seemingly believed it had some merit since it was reportedly shared with both congressional leaders and the British government. Similarly, CNN is reporting that the intelligence inspired efforts to protect U.S. forces in Afghanistan.

[Yadryonych]

According to this, congressional leaders were briefed on it. Who they are, and why they wouldn't have briefed Trump is a mystery.

And more importantly why exactly would Russia want to undermine the US-Taliban ceasefire negotiation potentially leading to US withdrawal?

It is possible that Russia needs American presence there to deter China. And I can see US leading officials wanting an opposite, they would want Russia to confront Chinese expansion in Middle Asia, as possible reason why they would downplay the situation and ultimately withdraw leaving Russia and China alone there

[Ripster42]

ucking who cares? If I offer you $100,000 to kill Adam Sandler and you do it, whether or not I actually pay you is not really the most important feature of the story.

.

Conflicting reports:

But one American official had told The Times that the intelligence finding that the Russians had offered and paid bounties to Afghan militants and criminals had been briefed at the highest levels of the White House.

[Redwyrm]

The most likely scenario is that Trump was briefed but, since he has the attention span of a two year old with ADD, OR was on twitter during the briefing, OR the briefing didn't contain enough photos and stick figure diagrams....

You get the idea.

[Breccia]

You get the idea.

Indeed. But we need proof of this. We need it public that Trump was directly briefed of a credible threat, and not only did literally nothing, but also denied he was even told.

[Felya]

WaPo is reporting that troops deaths are being linked to the bounty:

Russian bounties to Taliban-linked militants resulted in deaths of U.S. troops, according to intelligence assessments
https://www.washingtonpost.com/natio...1dc_story.html

Russian bounties offered to Taliban-linked militants to kill coalition forces in Afghanistan are believed to have resulted in the deaths of several U.S. service members, according to intelligence gleaned from U.S. military interrogations of captured militants in recent months.

[Zaydin]

WaPo is reporting that troops deaths are being linked to the bounty:

Russian bounties to Taliban-linked militants resulted in deaths of U.S. troops, according to intelligence assessments
https://www.washingtonpost.com/natio...1dc_story.html

Beat me to it.

I look forward to seeing how the GOP tries to avoid directly criticizing Trump over this.

[Ripster42]

Indeed. But we need proof of this. We need it public that Trump was directly briefed of a credible threat, and not only did literally nothing, but also denied he was even told.

No, not did nothing. Provided aid and support. He tried to get them back into G-7.

[YUPPIE]

how come Russia doesn't just move on to take over the US already through force? If Trump is really subservient to Putin like people gossip, it should already have happened.

[ohtlmtlm]

Could you imagine if Obama had done this!!!?!!!

No.... I absolutely can not Imagine that. It would not be in-line with who I knew him to be as President of the US... Trump on the other hand, yup... perfectly in line with every single piece of public evidence we have with Trump's problematic relationship with Russia.



Remember Benghazi? tan suits? Dijon on hamburgers? coffee salutes? That's what they "had" on Obama.

Whats 125,000+ and counting dead Americans, Depression level unemployment, and now a resurgent wave of COVID on top of everything else compared to that?

No wonder they discovered Qannon at the bottom of the hole that they've all collectively stuck their head into. All of this is worth it, if we can uncover the alleged global pedophile ring that is undermining democracy worldwide...... because it's definitely not money, capitalism and finance. nope. too big brain.

[Kreo]

Haven't read MMO-C for like 6+ months, especially Off-topic and clearly nothing have changed. Any report from NYT by unknown "officials" without single shred of a proof regarded by locals as gospel. With occasional Trump bashing.
Stay retarded, Off-topic, see ya in another 6 months.
[Infraction]

[s_bushido]

Haven't read MMO-C for like 6+ months, especially Off-topic and clearly nothing have changed. Any report from NYT by unknown "officials" without single shred of a proof regarded by locals as gospel. With occasional Trump bashing.
Stay retarded, Off-topic, see ya in another 6 months.

You clearly haven't been around for a while, or else you'd know that the driveby shitposters have taken to doing it on sock accounts, rather than their main.

[Doctor Amadeus]

Yeahhh I am not surprised, and by that not that Russians would do this, or that the Taliban would do it. I am not surprised Trump nor his supporters would give a shit. Trump has such wild and yet stupid ideas about Russia, yet every one of his supporters will give Obama shit for having the same kind of so called approach towards the middle east.

And PEACE LOVERS like Tulsi Gabbard obviously don't have shit to say.

[Milchshake]

The GOP Senate is complicit.

[Breccia]

how come Russia doesn't just move on to take over the US already through force?

Because they neither need to nor want to. The US is ceding the world stage to Russia and China, and Europe is backing away from the US. Russia has no need to take through force what they can get through bought agents, like Trump.

[Zaydin]

Well, Trump has finally said something about this and it's about as much bullshit as you thought it would be: He's claiming that 'intel did not find it credible' and therefore did not report it to him or Pence.

Never mind that the UK confirmed the intel.

[YUPPIE]

Because they neither need to nor want to. The US is ceding the world stage to Russia and China, and Europe is backing away from the US. Russia has no need to take through force what they can get through bought agents, like Trump.

that means democracy has surrendered to communism and unfathomable evil. Why aren't people more afraid? It just feels like there's an air of apathy.