This archive report was first published on 30 June 2020.
On June 29, 2020, the White House summoned a small group of House Republicans to explain its position on the suspected Russian plot to pay bounties to the Taliban for killing American soldiers in Afghanistan.
According to officials, the administration was reviewing reporting about the suspected Russian plot to assess its credibility, and the underlying intelligence was conflicting. This echoed comments from Ms. McEnany that the information in the assessment had not been “verified” because, she said without detail, there were “dissenting opinions” among analysts or agencies.
Ms. McEnany stated, “There was not a consensus among the intelligence community. And, in fact, there were dissenting opinions within the intelligence community, and it would not be elevated to the president until it was verified.”
However, in denying that Mr. Trump was briefed, administration officials have been coy about how it is defining that concept and whether it includes both oral briefings and the President’s Daily Brief. Ms. McEnany told reporters, “He was not personally briefed on the matter. That is all I can share with you today.”
It has been reported that Mr. Trump often neglects reading the President’s Daily Brief, preferring instead to receive an oral briefing summarizing highlights every few days. Even in those face-to-face meetings, he is particularly difficult to brief on national security matters. He often relies instead on conservative media and friends for information, current and former intelligence officials have said.
As early as January, American intelligence officers and Special Operations forces in Afghanistan began raising alarms about the suspected Russian plot. The National Security Council convened an interagency meeting to discuss the problem and what to do about it in late March. However, despite being presented with options, including a diplomatic protest and sanctions, the White House authorized no response.
