Pompeo did not say which military leader spoke with the Russian military about the program, and the Pentagon did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
“We will do everything we can to protect and defend every American soldier and, for that matter, every soldier from the Czech Republic or any other country that is part of the Resolute Support Mission to ensure that they be safe, ”Pompeo continues.
Pompeo’s remarks mark the first time a senior member of the administration has publicly acknowledged the talks over the bounties with the Russian government. In contrast, Trump said in a recent interview with Axios that he never confronted Russian President Vladimir Putin about the matter.
The New York Times first reported in June on the existence of a CIA investigation that Russian operatives had secretly offered and paid fines to militants to intensify more frequent attacks on US and coalition troops in Afghanistan in the months following the historic peace agreement announced in February. The White House claimed that Trump was informed about intelligence, but the president dismissed the reports as a “Russian hoax.”
Asked about Trump’s remarks in the Axios interview, Pompeo declined to comment on whether or not the president was informed, and defended Trump’s handling of the situation.
“In any case, President Trump has had one of his national security team come to him to say, ‘Sir, we have a concern that we are not doing enough here. We can do more here, here’s another risk,'” the president said. has taken that on board seriously and we have responded in a way that is not only appropriate, but it has kept our people safe, ”Pompeo said.
The top U.S. general in the Middle East has told reporters he is skeptical about the intelligence that bends were paid.
“I found it very worrying. I did not find that there was a causal switch,” Generation Frank McKenzie, head of the US Central Command, said in early July.
