White House denies Trump knew of Russian bounty
Newspaper reports say intelligence told the president Putin put a price on the head of American soldiers in Afghanistan
WASHINGTON — The White House is denying explosive reports that President Donald Trump had been briefed by intelligence officials about, but had done nothing to respond to, an effort by Russian President Vladimir Putin to put bounties on U.S. and allied troops in Afghanistan.
The statement, released Saturday night, came shortly after Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden slammed Trump for the alleged inaction, which was first detailed in a New York Times report on Friday.
“While the White House does not routinely comment on alleged intelligence or internal deliberations, the CIA Director, National Security Adviser, and the Chief of Staff can all confirm that neither the President nor the Vice President were briefed on the alleged Russian bounty intelligence,” White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany said in a statement.
McEnany said she wasn’t commenting on the “merit of the alleged intelligence” on Russia’s moves, major elements of which were also reported by the Washington Post.
Russian military intelligence units offered the bounties to Afghan militants to kill U.S. and U.K. troops, according to The New York Times, which said that Trump had been briefed and the administration had spent months considering a response but had made no final decisions.
Biden pounced on the topic during an Asian and Pacific Islander American Vote virtual town hall meeting.
“Donald Trump has continued his embarrassing campaign of deference and debasing himself before Vladimir Putin,” the former vice president said.
“He had has this information, according to the Times, and yet he offered to host Putin in the United States and sought to invite Russia to rejoin the G7.”
Biden, Trump’s rival in the November election, also went after Russia’s leader, saying “there is no bottom to the depth of Vladimir Putin and the Kremlin’s depravity.”
If the Times report is accurate — and several other media outlets say they have confirmed the report as well — Trump’s reaction amounts to “worse than nothing,” Biden added.
Trump has sought friendly relations with Putin, who made efforts to boost him in the 2016 election.
“His entire presidency has been a gift to Putin, but this is beyond the pale,” Biden said. “It’s a betrayal of the most sacred duty we bear as a nation — protect and equip our troops when we go into harm’s way.”
Democratic lawmakers also criticized Trump about the report. “They put bounties on the heads of American soldiers and Trump thought the ‘ask them to stop’ option presented by his advisers was too harsh,” said Senator Chris Murphy of Connecticut.
A key Trump ally, Senator Lindsey Graham, said it was “imperative Congress get to the bottom of” the allegations about Russia. “I expect the Trump administration to take such allegations seriously and inform Congress immediately as to the reliability of these news reports,” the South Carolina Republican said on Twitter.
LONDON — Malawi’s main opposition leader Lazarus Chakwera coasted to victory in a court-ordered election rerun that outgoing President Peter Mutharika alleged was marred by irregularities.
Chakwera secured 58.5 per cent support in the June 23 vote, and Mutharika 34 per cent, tallies released on Saturday by Chifundo Kachale, the chairman of the Malawi Electoral Commission, showed. About 4.4-million people cast ballots.
“We now have a winner,” Kachale said at a ceremony in Blantyre, the commercial capital. “We have resolved all complaints stakeholders filed.”
The Supreme Court of Appeal, the top judicial authority, last month upheld the Constitutional Court’s annulment of a flawed May 2019 vote that handed Mutharika a second five-year term. Chakwera, who was declared runner-up in that vote, then enlisted Saulos Chilima, the nation’s popular vice-president who finished third, as his running mate and united the two main opposition parties’ support bases.
Securing a credible vote was a key test for a country the United Nations ranks as one of the world’s least developed after the ruling to scrap the previous result was hailed as a boost for democracy. It was only the second time a presidential vote had been overturned in Africa.
Chakwera, 65, served as president of the Malawi Assemblies of God churches for more than 24 years before being appointed leader of the main opposition Malawi Congress Party in 2013. He holds four degrees, including a theology master’s degree from the University of South Africa and a doctorate from the Trinity International University in Deerfield, Illinois.
The opposition’s campaign pledge to created one-million jobs within a year of taking office secured it the backing of many young voters.
Mutharika, 79, a constitutional law expert who studied at the University of London and Yale, has ruled the landlocked southern African nation since 2014.