White House: Trump never told about Russian bounties

(NBC News) The White House continued to push back Monday on reports that President Trump failed to act on intelligence reports that Russian intelligence agents in Afghanistan offered bounties on U.S. troops.

“This was not briefed up to the President because it was not in fact verified,” White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany told reporters.

President Trump tweeted over the weekend that “nobody briefed or told me,” Vice President Mike Pence or White House chief of staff Mark Meadows about the intelligence.

The New York Times, Which broke the story, reports that U.S. intelligence did include the information in the president’s daily briefing book and in a March inter-agency meeting.

“There is no way that intelligence of this nature would not or should not get to the President,” says former national security official Brett McGurk.

The Washington Post reports U.S. intelligence now believes the Russian bounties may have led to the deaths of several U.S. service members and critics are slamming President Trump and his administration for not acting to hold Russia accountable and protect American lives.

“Our troops need their Commander in Chief to defend them and in fact he’s done nothing of the sort and claims that he does not know,” says Senator Tammy Duckworth.

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