Russia Secretly Offered Afghan Militants Bounties to Kill U.S. Troops - Trump has known for months

[Badger]

For anyone who has trouble getting through the NYT's paywall,

Report: Russia offered bounties on killing US troops

Citing officials briefed on the matter, the Times said the United States determined months ago that a Russian military intelligence unit linked to assassination attempts in Europe had offered rewards for successful attacks last year.

Islamist militants, or armed criminal elements closely associated with them, are believed to have collected some bounty money, the newspaper said.

President Donald Trump has been briefed on the intelligence finding, the Times said. It said the White House has yet to authorize any steps against Russia in response to the bounties.

That second quoted line is, yet again, something that Obama or Hillary would have been justifiably impeached for in a heartbeat. Absolutely disgusting.

How hard is it to contact Putin, or have our Secretary of State Contact their foreign minister, to deliver the clear an ambiguous message that the bounties need lifted, and if our intelligence sources don't confirm that they have been ASAP including any off-the-record offers, we will institute a similar program in the Ukraine, and otherwise power up on sanctions and other diplomatic penalties?

[Badger]

"U.S. intelligence officials"

"There is no defense of this except questioning my continued worship of trump, so it MUST be fake news!!!"

[Badger]

This coming out ~4 months ahead of an election would sink a normal incumbent President.

This won’t even be news by next week.

So painfully sad, so painfully true.

I'm pretty sure that Republicans have continually lowered their standards, not mention creating double standards, since the origination of Fox News, but Trump has accelerated to light speed the decline of their standards for a president.

[Badger]

https://twitter.com/ChrisMurphyCT/status/1277093419505143808

Ratcliffe was chosen for this position explicitly because he proved himself during the impeachment trial to be a loyal stooge to Trump. He had a close confirmation Vote where even Joe manchin voted against him because such widespread as concerns he would politicize the intelligence agency. Compare this to Dan coats who was confirmed 85 to 12.

In short, he's lying.

[Atlas Has Shrugged]

"U.S. intelligence officials"

"There is no defense of this except questioning my continued worship of trump, so it MUST be fake news!!!"

"I'll throw a barb at Sanchez for alleged Trump worship while simultaneously throwing my blind trust behind a historically bad intelligence agency with a record of sins ten miles long. Though this is obviously hypocritical, I shall continue on because I lack the personal insight to even question my own beliefs. In fact, I'm so lame that I'm going to post Sanchez's response to the irony ore mine or something like that because all I'm capable of doing is moving the goal posts."

[Mr. Illini]

Seems that Trump’s attempt to distract by RTing a tweet with someone yelling “white power” is working.

This has fallen way down in the headlines.

Absolutely absurd - this is a huge story.

[Absentee Voting Ghost of Ruin]

Sometimes I think people really understate how much of an enemy Russians are. They straight up are trying to kill our troops. These aren’t our friends.

 The Russians are just repaying the favor, we did the same thing to them in Afghanistan. It's Trump's supplicant behavior towards Russia and Putin that has always been the scandal.

When were the Russians even in Afghanistan?

[Absentee Voting Ghost of Ruin]

For anyone who has trouble getting through the NYT's paywall,

Report: Russia offered bounties on killing US troops

Citing officials briefed on the matter, the Times said the United States determined months ago that a Russian military intelligence unit linked to assassination attempts in Europe had offered rewards for successful attacks last year.

Islamist militants, or armed criminal elements closely associated with them, are believed to have collected some bounty money, the newspaper said.

President Donald Trump has been briefed on the intelligence finding, the Times said. It said the White House has yet to authorize any steps against Russia in response to the bounties.

That second quoted line is, yet again, something that Obama or Hillary would have been justifiably impeached for in a heartbeat. Absolutely disgusting.

How hard is it to contact Putin, or have our Secretary of State Contact their foreign minister, to deliver the clear an ambiguous message that the bounties need lifted, and if our intelligence sources don't confirm that they have been ASAP including any off-the-record offers, we will institute a similar program in the Ukraine, and otherwise power up on sanctions and other diplomatic penalties?

To be fair to Mr. Trump, it's publicly documented that he spent much of the next few weeks on the phone with Putin.

3/30
https://www.upi.com/Top_News/US/2020/06/01/Trump-phone-call-with-Putin-covers-Russias-attendance-at-G7/2391591053841/

4/9 & 4/10
https://www.upi.com/Top_News/World-News/2020/04/10/Trump-Putin-speak-via-phone-for-second-consecutive-day/2371586535996/

4/12 (Reportedly a conference call with Putin & King Salman)
https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2020/04/12/putin-trump-hail-opec-oil-deal-kremlin-a69958

[Hindsight was 2020]

"U.S. intelligence officials"

"There is no defense of this except questioning my continued worship of trump, so it MUST be fake news!!!"

"I'll throw a barb at Sanchez for alleged Trump worship while simultaneously throwing my blind trust behind a historically bad intelligence agency with a record of sins ten miles long. Though this is obviously hypocritical, I shall continue on because I lack the personal insight to even question my own beliefs. In fact, I'm so lame that I'm going to post Sanchez's response to the irony ore mine or something like that because all I'm capable of doing is moving the goal posts."

“I’m going to accuse the IC over being the ones with trust issues over Trump and have little to no self awareness about that while I accuse everyone else of being the ones blinded by personal bias” is equally true of your position in this thread tbh

[Atlas Has Shrugged]

Sometimes I think people really understate how much of an enemy Russians are. They straight up are trying to kill our troops. These aren’t our friends.

 The Russians are just repaying the favor, we did the same thing to them in Afghanistan. It's Trump's supplicant behavior towards Russia and Putin that has always been the scandal.

When were the Russians even in Afghanistan?

You're kidding right?

[Continential]

Sometimes I think people really understate how much of an enemy Russians are. They straight up are trying to kill our troops. These aren’t our friends.

 The Russians are just repaying the favor, we did the same thing to them in Afghanistan. It's Trump's supplicant behavior towards Russia and Putin that has always been the scandal.

When were the Russians even in Afghanistan?

The 80s, the war is called the Soviet-Afghan War.

[ηєω ƒяσηтιєя]

https://mobile.twitter.com/votevets/status/1277295496105807873

[Ye We Can]

Sometimes I think people really understate how much of an enemy Russians are. They straight up are trying to kill our troops. These aren’t our friends.

 The Russians are just repaying the favor, we did the same thing to them in Afghanistan. It's Trump's supplicant behavior towards Russia and Putin that has always been the scandal.

When were the Russians even in Afghanistan?

Oof

[Badger]

"U.S. intelligence officials"

"There is no defense of this except questioning my continued worship of trump, so it MUST be fake news!!!"

"I'll throw a barb at Sanchez for alleged Trump worship while simultaneously throwing my blind trust behind a historically bad intelligence agency with a record of sins ten miles long. Though this is obviously hypocritical, I shall continue on because I lack the personal insight to even question my own beliefs. In fact, I'm so lame that I'm going to post Sanchez's response to the irony ore mine or something like that because all I'm capable of doing is moving the goal posts."

"Brevity is the soul of wit."-- Shakespeare

[emailking]

https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1277431695248183298

[Hindsight was 2020]

https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1277431695248183298

Lol he’s such a bad liar

[Badger]

https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1277431695248183298

Lol he’s such a bad liar

Well, his voters are just that gullible, so it's a good match.

I mean, seriously. If he yells "Fake News" during a tweet oh, he can get most of his supporters to believe 2 + 2 doesn't equal 4.

[Absentee Voting Ghost of Ruin]

Sometimes I think people really understate how much of an enemy Russians are. They straight up are trying to kill our troops. These aren’t our friends.

 The Russians are just repaying the favor, we did the same thing to them in Afghanistan. It's Trump's supplicant behavior towards Russia and Putin that has always been the scandal.

When were the Russians even in Afghanistan?

The 80s, the war is called the Soviet-Afghan War.

I rather doubt that, since modern Russia didn't even exist until 1991, years after that Soviet-Afghan war ended.

If the Russian and the Soviets are held to be the same thing (which they technically and legally are not), then Donald Trump is not just doing business with and sucking up to a sometime global rival with a shady government, he's actively aligned himself with a nation and government that have been the open enemies of American and democracy since the end of World War II. That, in turn, would make him (and all the Republicans supporting him) flat-out traitors, rather than just a despicable band of bigoted fascists.

[Gass3268]

AP confirms

https://twitter.com/rgoodlaw/status/1277555620439224325?s=21

[Atlas Has Shrugged]

Sometimes I think people really understate how much of an enemy Russians are. They straight up are trying to kill our troops. These aren’t our friends.

 The Russians are just repaying the favor, we did the same thing to them in Afghanistan. It's Trump's supplicant behavior towards Russia and Putin that has always been the scandal.

When were the Russians even in Afghanistan?

The 80s, the war is called the Soviet-Afghan War.

I rather doubt that, since modern Russia didn't even exist until 1991, years after that Soviet-Afghan war ended.

If the Russian and the Soviets are held to be the same thing (which they technically and legally are not), then Donald Trump is not just doing business with and sucking up to a sometime global rival with a shady government, he's actively aligned himself with a nation and government that have been the open enemies of American and democracy since the end of World War II. That, in turn, would make him (and all the Republicans supporting him) flat-out traitors, rather than just a despicable band of bigoted fascists.

You’re splitting hairs to cover yourself. Cringe.

[Stranger in a strange land]

Sometimes I think people really understate how much of an enemy Russians are. They straight up are trying to kill our troops. These aren’t our friends.

 The Russians are just repaying the favor, we did the same thing to them in Afghanistan. It's Trump's supplicant behavior towards Russia and Putin that has always been the scandal.

When were the Russians even in Afghanistan?

The 80s, the war is called the Soviet-Afghan War.

I rather doubt that, since modern Russia didn't even exist until 1991, years after that Soviet-Afghan war ended.

If the Russian and the Soviets are held to be the same thing (which they technically and legally are not), then Donald Trump is not just doing business with and sucking up to a sometime global rival with a shady government, he's actively aligned himself with a nation and government that have been the open enemies of American and democracy since the end of World War II. That, in turn, would make him (and all the Republicans supporting him) flat-out traitors, rather than just a despicable band of bigoted fascists.

**Sigh** Not only does the current Russian state claim Soviet achievements such as the Victory in World War II and the Space Program as crucial to its legitimacy, much as they were to the USSR's, Russia has declared itself and is near-universally recognized as the legal successor state to the Soviet Union.

[GeorgiaModerate]

https://twitter.com/JakeSherman/status/1277650842607370241

Anyone want to defend this?

[TiltsAreUnderrated]

https://twitter.com/JakeSherman/status/1277650842607370241
Anyone want to defend this?

Lindsey Graham?

[Absentee Voting Ghost of Ruin]

https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1277431695248183298

Who is "Intel"? Does Mr. Trump mean 'Putin'? Because he keeps telling us that the United States intelligence community is a bunch of liars and leakers out to get him.

(Yes, I know, he probably means DNI Ratcliffe. But saying "Ratcliffe told me so" is a lot like "my hand puppet told me so", which is why we're getting the obfuscation. Or he's just making it up.)

[Badger]

https://twitter.com/JakeSherman/status/1277650842607370241

Anyone want to defend this?

" good grief this is a fundamental betrayal of anything remotely approaching bipartisanship on foreign policy, not to mention fundamentally sacrificing our nation and troops best interest so he can remain Pals or even business partners with Putin. This is extremely worrisome and no president regardless of party should ever...

Wait! Some hippies in Portland just knocked over a statue of Columbus! Antifa is running wild!! 4 MORE YEARS!! 4 MORE YEARS!!"