President Trump has now been briefed on intelligence regarding Russian bounties on coalition forces in Afghanistan, White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany said Tuesday.
McEnany confirmed during a press briefing that Trump had been briefed on the matter but emphasized that there is still not a “consensus” in the intelligence community regarding the validity of the information.
“The president has been briefed on what is unfortunately in the public domain because of The New York Times,” she told reporters. “But that does not change the fact that there is no consensus on this intelligence that still has yet to be verified.”
McEnany vociferously criticized the Times, which first reported on the intelligence Friday, for publishing what she described as unverified information, saying it damages the U.S. government’s ability to collect intelligence.
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Trump is said not to read the written briefs and to prefer oral briefings a handful of times a week.
McEnany, however, pushed back on the notion that the president does not regularly read or otherwise consume intelligence.
“The president does read and he also consumes intelligence verbally. This president, I’ll tell you, is the most informed person on planet Earth when it comes to the threats that we face,” the press secretary said.
Trump was receiving a briefing Tuesday as McEnany spoke, according to the White House schedule, though it was unclear precisely when officials briefed him on intelligence regarding the Russian bounties.
McEnany did not directly answer Monday whether Trump had been briefed on the intelligence since it was reported, but she said repeatedly that Trump is briefed only on “verified” intelligence. The White House has also briefed select members of Congress on the issue.
Trump administration officials have downplayed the reports about the intelligence, saying the information had not been verified.
But Trump late Sunday tweeted that he was told by intelligence officials that they did not find the information “credible” in explaining why he was not briefed on the material. McEnany declined to explain what the president meant in the tweet on Monday, and no other White House officials have publicly described the intelligence as not credible.
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White House says Trump has now been briefed on Russian bounty intel https://t.co/89sGoZamB0 pic.twitter.com/JVw8A2LX0X
— The Hill (@thehill) June 30, 2020
She’s beyond parody. https://t.co/c4OhwFqRAO
— Rick Wilson (@TheRickWilson) June 30, 2020
My friend Dan served in the toughest combat zones in Iraq and Afghanistan and today saves lives as an ER doc. He’s unsparing in his critique of Trump’s leadership. https://t.co/mvZWzs3Gyn
— Elise Jordan (@Elise_Jordan) June 30, 2020
The President is now binge-watching last season’s PDBs. https://t.co/N5XuKEbZcc
— Seth Masket (@smotus) June 30, 2020
Oh brother!
So the story has gone from the president didn't know anything about this, to there is an ongoing "investigation," to not all intel agencies agree, to it's a made up hoax. Got it. https://t.co/38dWiFZois
— Susan Hennessey (@Susan_Hennessey) July 1, 2020
In that sense this "scandal" is essentially fraudulent. What Trump may, or may not, have been briefed on — get ready for lots of parsing of words like "brief" & "report" — really makes no difference here. Donnie decided long ago that Putin is his pal and the IC are Nazis.
— John Schindler (@20committee) July 1, 2020
This is as blunt a statement as I've ever seen a retired general officer make. https://t.co/4STayYaC5w
— Tom Nichols (@RadioFreeTom) July 1, 2020
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