| | | Lawmakers want answers from Pentagon, White House on reported Russian bounties
Email Print Reddit Tweet Share Pinterest More
By CAITLIN M. KENNEY | STARS AND STRIPESPublished: June 29, 2020
WASHINGTON — Leaders on the Senate and House Armed Services Committees said Monday that they want answers from the Pentagon and White House about reports that a Russian military intelligence group had paid bounties to kill American troops in Afghanistan.
“We need to get to the bottom of it and we need to do it now. Again, this week before Congress leaves on the Fourth of July,” Rep. Mac Thornberry of Texas, the ranking Republican on the House Armed Services Committee, told reporters Monday morning during a Defense Writers Group conference call.
The New York Times reported Friday that American intelligence had determined a Russian intelligence unit had secretly offered Taliban-linked militants bounties to kill American and coalition service members in Afghanistan. The Washington Post reported Sunday that it is believed some of the bounties did result in the deaths of Americans.
The House Armed Services Committee’s leadership has requested a briefing by the Pentagon for Monday or Tuesday on the intelligence to understand its credibility and how intelligence officials arrived at their conclusion, Thornberry said. The Pentagon had not responded to their request yet, he added.
Rep. Adam Smith, D-Wash., the chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, also said Monday that the House committee needs answers on the intelligence from the Pentagon and when it was known, in order to hold appropriate administration officials and the Russian government accountable.
“If the reports are true, that the administration knew about this Russian operation and did nothing, they have broken the trust of those who serve and the commitment to their families to ensure their loved one’s safety,” he said in a prepared statement.
A meeting about this intelligence occurred at the White House in March with President Donald Trump, according to news reports. On Sunday, Trump tweeted he and Vice President Mike Pence had not been briefed on the intelligence.
Trump later tweeted, “Intel just reported to me that they did not find this info credible, and therefore did not report it to me or [the vice president.] Possibly another fabricated Russia Hoax, maybe by the Fake News.”
stripes.com |
|
