Speaker Nancy Pelosi is demanding that the Trump administration brief all House members on the allegations that Russians have been paying Afghan militants to assassinate U.S. soldiers, pointing to recent news reports and conflicting statements by President Donald Trump on the matter.
The New York Times reported on the intelligence assessment, which indicated that senior White House and intelligence officials knew about the bounty allegations since at least March but took no action. The Times reported that Trump was briefed on the matter and that it was included in his Presidential Daily Brief, but Trump denied ever learning of the intelligence and late Sunday said his leaders in the intelligence community told him it wasn't credible.
”The questions that arise are: was the President briefed, and if not, why not, and why was Congress not briefed. Congress and the country need answers now,” Pelosi wrote in her letter. "I therefore request an interagency brief for all House Members immediately. Congress needs to know what the intelligence community knows about this significant threat to American troops and our allies and what options are available to hold Russia accountable."
Since the news reports emerged, Democrats and some Republicans have been demanding details from the administration, and several reports suggested a briefing might be forthcoming. Early Monday, congressional aides indicated no briefing had been set up for the House intelligence, armed services or foreign affairs committee. It's unclear if the Gang of Eight — the leaders of the House and Senate, as well as the intelligence committee leaders — would be briefed or had already been informed of any of the intelligence.