Former national security adviser Susan Rice criticized claims by President Trump that he was never briefed on reports that Russian intelligence agents offer rewards to Taliban-linked militants in Afghanistan for the murder of US troops.
Rice, who is believed to be on the list as a possible running mate for presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden, expressed disbelief that Trump said he was never brief on Russian rewards and criticized the president for allegedly not reading the daily reports. of intelligence that is. dice.
“I don’t buy this story that was never reported,” Rice said on NBC’s “Meet The Press.” “I think more than a year ago, when the information first came to light in 2019, that my successor, John Bolton, would have entered the Oval Office directly, as he would have, and informed the president of this intelligence.” .
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Rice added: “We have credible information that suggests that the Russians and perhaps Putin himself are trying to kill US service members, and the president calls it a hoax.”
Trump has been under increasing pressure to provide answers on the United States’ response to Russia or the lack of one. But the president has continued to downplay intelligence, calling it “deception” and “fake news” designed to harm him and the Republican Party.
The White House has insisted that Trump did not receive information about the evaluations because they had not been verified, despite the fact that it is rare for intelligence to be confirmed without a doubt before it is presented to the main government decision makers.
The news that Moscow allegedly offered rewards to Afghan militants who killed US soldiers was first reported last weekend in the New York Times.
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The Washington Post also reported that the Russian rewards “are believed to have resulted in the deaths of several members of the American service.” Meanwhile, the Associated Press reported that authorities said an April 2019 attack on a U.S. convoy that killed three Marines in Afghanistan is under investigation.
On the issue that she could be Biden’s running mate, Rice said she did not want to speculate and that, for the moment, her goal was to get the former vice president elected in November.
“Whether it’s his running mate or knocking on the door, I don’t care. I just want Joe Biden to be elected and see Democrats control the Senate and retain the House, “Rice said.” Because, Andrea, we are at a time when our democracy is at stake, where our leadership role is at stake. in the world, where the lives of tens of thousands of Americans are at stake, lost by incompetence and callous leadership that could be neglected. We have to change that. “