Press Secretary says intelligence kept from Trump because it was not 'verified'

White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany. Photo / AP

The White House said that President Donald Trump wasn't briefed on United States intelligence assessments this year that Russia secretly offered bounties to Taliban-linked militants for killing American troops in Afghanistan because the information had not been "verified."

Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany asserted that intelligence "would not be elevated to the President until it was verified."

However, it is rare for intelligence to be confirmed without a shadow of doubt before it is presented to senior government decision-makers.

McEnany added that a House briefing for select members of Congress was being held today, but she said that even then, Trump still had not been briefed on the intelligence.

Eight Republican lawmakers were in the briefing, an official said, adding Democrats were invited but chose not to attend. McEnany declined to say why a different standard applied to briefing lawmakers than the President.

“Noticeably absent from the briefing, which are traditionally bipartisan affairs, were any Democrats, despite controlling both House panels.” Meadows called Hoyer Sunday to try to schedule a Dem briefing, unclear why that has yet to happen or if it will. https://t.co/FVcBLoQNHk

— Natasha Bertrand (@NatashaBertrand) June 29, 2020

"There is no consensus within the intelligence community on these allegations and in effect there are dissenting opinions from some in the intelligence community with regards to the veracity of what's being reported and the veracity of the underlying allegations continue to be evaluated," McEnany said.

The intelligence assessments came amid Trump's push to withdraw the US from Afghanistan and suggested Russia was making overtures to militants as the US and the Taliban held talks to end the long-running war.

Analysis: Kayleigh McEnany’s answers on Russia’s bounties and Trump don’t make sense https://t.co/LNHxAIp351

— The Washington Post (@washingtonpost) June 29, 2020

The assessment was first reported by the New York Times, then confirmed to AP by American intelligence officials and two others with knowledge of the matter.

While Russian meddling in Afghanistan isn't new, officials said Russian operatives became more aggressive in their desire to contract with the Taliban and members of the Haqqani Network, a militant group aligned with the Taliban in Afghanistan.

Russian operatives are said to have met with Taliban leaders in Doha, Qatar, and Afghanistan; however, it's unknown if the meetings were to discuss bounties.

The White House Press Secretary said at the briefing today that Trump "has not been briefed" on the Russia bounty story. Yet Trump tweeted last night that he had spoken to "intel" about the matter. https://t.co/WBe9jv5seU

— Jim Acosta (@Acosta) June 29, 2020

The intelligence officials told AP that Trump was briefed on the bounty matter earlier this year; Trump denied that, tweeting yesterday that neither he nor Vice-President Mike Pence had been briefed.

Trump tweeted he was just told intelligence officials didn't report the information to him because they didn't find it credible.

- AP