Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) called for US intelligence agencies to immediately brief the Senate about what Trump knew about Russia placing bounties on US troops.
Schumer said in a statement provided to PoliticusUSA, “I am calling for the Directors of National Intelligence and the CIA to immediately brief all 100 Senators on reports that Russia placed bounties on US troops in Afghanistan. We need to know whether or not President Trump was told this information, and if so, when.â€
Trump’s denial of being briefed on the Russian bounties that were placed on US troops in Afghanistan has fallen apart fairly quickly. The Pentagon was reported to have been banging down the door to the White House trying to get Trump to take action. The Pentagon took measures on their own to try to protect US troops in Afghanistan.
The bounty program was first detected by US intelligence in January, but the Trump administration tried to keep it a secret.
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At a minimum, the Senate needs to know when and how Trump was briefed. The reports are that the president was briefed in writing via his daily briefing, but he didn’t read it.
Bountygate is not going away. There are going to be congressional investigations, and Trump’s inaction is going haunt him all through the 2020 presidential campaign.
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Jason is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.
Awards and Professional Memberships
Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association
