While Democrats and other Trump critics, including presidential nominee Joe Biden, accept as fact the uncorroborated claims that the Russians paid bounties to Taliban fighters to kill Americans, the top U.S. general in the region, still isn’t convinced.
Despite this lack of corroboration, Biden has shamelessly cited Russian bounties in his attacks on President Trump.
Even as the administration digs deeper into the matter, President Trump and his advisors have repeatedly stated that the intelligence provided to the White House has not been conclusive enough to merit action.
Top U.S. military leaders still agree.
Gen. Frank McKenzie, commander of the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) responsible for U.S. troops in Afghanistan, recently told NBC News: “It just has not been proved to a level of certainty that satisfies me,” adding, “We continue to look for that evidence…I just haven’t seen it yet.”
But it isn’t only General McKenzie. As NBC News notes, this “consensus view among military leaders, underscores the lack of certainty around a narrative that has been accepted as fact by Democrats and other Trump critics.”
So, it isn’t just McKenzie, or General Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, who doubt the veracity of the “Russian Bounties” stories – it is the “consensus view” among U.S. military leaders.
And these generals would certainly want proof that Russians are paying the Taliban to kill American troops. “If the Russians are trying to kill Americans in Afghanistan, General McKenzie told NBC News, “I want to know, because I won’t hesitate to take action if that’s the case. I just haven’t seen it.”
NBC News went on to report:
Echoing comments in July by Gen. Mark Milley… McKenzie said that if he could establish that the Russians were offering payments to kill Americans, he would push to forcefully respond. But the intelligence is far from conclusive, he said.
A U.S. military official familiar with the intelligence added that after a review of the intelligence around each attack against Americans going back several years, none have been tied to any Russian incentive payments.
While earlier in the process senior military commanders were not privy to all related intelligence from the CIA, they have seen it all now. NBC News notes that after The New York Times reported on the alleged bounty program, “senior military officials have had a chance to examine all the intelligence.”
In July, Defense Secretary Mark Esper told the House Armed Services that, “All the defense intelligence agencies have been unable to corroborate that report.”
“As of today, right now, we don’t have cause and effect linkages to a Russian bounty program causing U.S. military casualties,” Milley told the same committee. “However, we are still looking. We’re not done. We’re going to run this thing to ground.”
Two months later, despite all the best efforts of the U.S. Intelligence Community (IC) and the Pentagon, those “linkages” have yet to be found.
“People that are involved in it get very emotional about it,” McKenzie added to NBC News. “I can’t afford to be emotional about it. I’ve got to step back and look at the totality of the picture.”
The totality of that picture still seems to show that Trump’s assessment that the “Russian Bounty” intelligence was inconclusive was correct, and Biden, Democrats, and the media should be ashamed to keep saying otherwise.
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Here in communist-run N.Y. “taxin” tedra cobb is running ads “proclaimming” it is the “GOD HONEST truth”! (to put down Elise Stefanik and President Trump.
AGAIN (without proof) another DEMOCOMMUNIST is using LIES as “talking points”. TYPICAL.
The Democrats are going back to get same lies to deflect they represent the very same Marxism that they want to assign to Trump in cooperation with Russia for state control. Expect much more of this since they have nothing but lies to give America, an America they want to convert to a government run socialism.
All the evil lies by the Demorats are horrible, unfortunately some of the media sheep believe them
The Main sewer Stream fake Media are not “sheep”…for over nigh forty odd years they have been nothing but propaganda disseminators and are fully complicit in the “take down” of the Republic…and Trump IS standing in their way !!!
It’s the whole “Crooked Carnival Demon Rats” who want the show to continue by getting Pres. Trump removed from office.
I don’t believe the Russians or anyone else, for that matter, would want to waste money paying someone to do what they want to do all on their own.
That logic escapes the left…needless to say there is no love lost between the Russians and the Taliban. Lest we forget the US supplied the Taliban with weapons when the Russians were in the same situation…
What we know for sure. IF they can put out ANY story that is negative for Trump they will. Just like Biden lied about Trump not doing enough when Trump was doing so much that Biden was attacking him as he did it for it being TOO MUCH. I wonder if Biden’s mind still knows what xenophobia is.
The corrupt MSM are “scum”, plain and simple. They worked diligently at acquiring their well earned title “enemy of the people”, but that was apparently not enough of an “accolade”…they desire MORE “derision” to be completely happy…
As a proud to have served veteran, I am absolutely without respect for the politicians and others who would knowingly and willingly take sides against our great God-given nation and support such organizations as the Marxist-trained BLM leaders and others who seek to destroy our government. Why do we stand by and not shout from the roof tops that these people are traitors? Perhaps the example of Julius Rosenberg and spouse who betrayed our nation should be the example of how traitors are dealt with, perhaps!
Now exactly would the top General even know what the intelligence community knows he may not be cleared to that level or a need to know, The duties of any Field Grade officer to obtain an objective and keep as many troops alive as possible. Not to know that a bounty has been placed ion his troops which would actually mean nothing because in battle you always have a bounty on you by your enemy.
I really don’t think the Russians have done this, but if someone has done this, I would think it would be Iran, especially after Obama/Biden gave them $150 billion and $1.8 billion in cash, and their leadership are always calling for “Death to America”, and to Americans everywhere.
The Russian economy is in dire straights, and they need every dollar they have to keep their government going, which since President Trump has withdrawn from Obama’s Iran nuclear deal, which Iran was not honoring, but was found to have kept up it’s program to develop a nuclear weapon, Iran is now also in even more difficult and dire financial straights than is Russia, but during the time these payments were supposedly offered for killing Americans, Iran was cash rich, and was funding every terrorist and terrorist organization around the world.
So where is the TRUTH????
Is it with the rabid, leftist New York Times which is always looking for a way to slam Trump
Or is it with the military leaders of all stripe who actually are involved in combat with our enemies. IF it were Colin Powell, I would expect him to say he believed the lie. But he is gone AND FORGOTTEN. Just like Mad Dog Mathis is GONE.
Russians don’t have to pay Taliban to kill US Soldiers. Any time they get lucky and take one out their squad leader gives them Cigarettes and Whiskey to celebrate his little victory. That does not discount the fact that Russia is fully capable of doing the bounty pay. Saint Nicholas he is not. jwstx