House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, a Democrat from California, said Sunday that she is unclear about what “the Russians have on” President Trump, but added that he must have influenced his administration not to take action. after US intelligence learned that Moscow spies were offering rewards to Afghan militants for killing US troops.
Pelosi said during an interview on ABC’s “This Week” that throughout the Trump presidency he has ignored accusations of wrongdoing by Russia, but that the new reports of rewards “are as bad as possible.”
“This is as bad as it gets, and yet the president will not confront the Russians in this regard, he denies being informed,” Pelosi said. “I don’t know what the Russians have about the president, politically, personally, financially or whatever, but he wants to ignore it, he wants to bring them back to the G-8 despite the annexation of Crimea and the invasion of Ukraine.”
RUSSIAN SPY UNIT PAID TALIBAN FOR ATTACK ON UNITED STATES TROOPS, SAYS US INTELLIGENCE
The New York Times first reported over the weekend that US intelligence officials determined that a Russian military unit secretly offered rewards to Taliban-linked militants for killing coalition forces, including the attack on the American troops. The Wall Street Journal and the Washington Post also reported on the Kremlin’s efforts to mount attacks on Western troops.
The Times reported that President Trump and the White House National Security Council were briefed on Russia’s bounty rewards in late March. They discussed an appropriate response, which ranged from filing a diplomatic complaint to Moscow and economic sanctions, but the White House had yet to authorize a response.
The White House said Saturday that Trump was not briefed on alleged Russian reward intelligence, but did not confirm or deny underlying reports that Russia was giving rewards for attacking American soldiers.
Trump added on Sunday his own denial of being informed, saying in a tweet that neither he nor Pence nor the White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows had been notified of the rewards, and questioned the veracity and origin of the article. New York Times.
RUSSIAN SPY UNIT PAID TALIBAN FOR ATTACK ON UNITED STATES TROOPS, SAYS US INTELLIGENCE
Pelosi did not question that Trump was not informed on the matter, but wondered why American intelligence officials had decided not to tell the president.
“What does that say about the concern of those who reported to the president about not approaching Russia’s problem with this president?” she said.
When asked what evidence he has that Russia has compromising information about Trump, Pelosi said Moscow’s past denials of the president are all the evidence he needs.
“How … if you don’t explain their refusal to equalize, ignore over and over again the intelligence that is right on Russia’s doorstep?”
“Now he says it is fake news,” he added. “Why would you say that? Why wouldn’t you say, let’s take a look at it and see what this is?
