Trump says not told of bounty by Russians

WASHINGTON • President Donald Trump said late Sunday that he was not told of intelligence that a Russian military spy unit offered bounties to Taliban-linked militants to attack coalition forces in Afghanistan, including U.S. troops, because U.S. intelligence officials did not find it credible.

“Intel just reported to me that they did not find this info credible, and therefore did not report it to me or @ VP,” Trump said in a tweet, referring to Vice President Mike Pence.

Earlier Sunday, Trump had tweeted that he had not been briefed about the intelligence, but he did little to clarify whether the administration was denying that the assessment existed or simply denying that he knew anything about it.

White House press secretary Kayleigh Mcenany echoed his tweet hours later during a briefing, saying Trump hadn’t been briefed and asserting that “there is no consensus within the intelligence community on these allegations.”

“In effect, there are dissenting opinions from some in the intelligence community with regards to the veracity of what’s being reported, and the veracity of the underlying allegations continue to be evaluated,” she said.

The Washington Post reported Sunday that the 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.

Several people familiar with the matter said it was unclear how many Americans or coalition troops may have been killed or targeted.

The intelligence was passed up from the U.S. Special Operations forces based in Afghanistan and led to a restricted high-level White House meeting in late March, the people said.

Asked to comment, John Ullyot, a National Security Council spokesman, said that “the veracity of the underlying allegations continue to be evaluated.”

The president’s tweet on Sunday came in response to one by Sen. Lindsey Graham, one of many lawmakers from both parties who called on the Trump administration to provide an explanation.