U.S. Intel Walks Back Claim Russians Put Bounties on American Troops

[Nevilledog]

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Noah Shachtman
@NoahShachtman
NEW: U.S. intel walks back blockbuster 'Russian bounties' claim

U.S. Intel Walks Back Claim Russians Put Bounties on American Troops
It was a huge election-time story that prompted cries of treason. But according to a newly disclosed assessment, Donald Trump might have been right to call it a “hoax.”
thedailybeast.com
8:12 AM · Apr 15, 2021

https://www.thedailybeast.com/us-intel-walks-back-claim-russians-put-bounties-on-american-troops

It was a blockbuster story about Russia’s return to the imperial “Great Game” in Afghanistan. The Kremlin had spread money around the longtime central Asian battlefield for militants to kill remaining U.S. forces. It sparked a massive outcry from Democrats and their #resistance amplifiers about the treasonous Russian puppet in the White House whose admiration for Vladimir Putin had endangered American troops.

But on Thursday, the Biden administration announced that U.S. intelligence only had “low to moderate” confidence in the story after all. Translated from the jargon of spyworld, that means the intelligence agencies have found the story is, at best, unproven—and possibly untrue.

“The United States intelligence community assesses with low to moderate confidence that Russian intelligence officers sought to encourage Taliban attacks U.S. and coalition personnel in Afghanistan in 2019 and perhaps earlier,” a senior administration official said.

“U.S. intelligence only had ‘low to moderate’ confidence in the story. Translated from the jargon of spyworld, that means the intelligence agencies have found the story is, at best, unproven—and possibly untrue.”

“This information puts a burden on the Russian government to explain its actions and take steps to address this disturbing pattern of behavior,” the official said, indicating that Biden is unprepared to walk the story back fully.

*snip*

[Moostache]

1. This REQUIRES an investigation and sunshine...

These are exactly the kind of stories that the right wing feeds to their captive audience to make EVERYTHING suspect. If there was chicanery going on with this reporting and story, then those responsible MUST face questions and concsequences.

We as a nation MUST be able to agree to facts and truth, and right now we are in two tribal camps and seem to be creating opportunities to allow those who profit from such divisions to add fuel to the fires.

Expose anyone who may have manipulated reports or Intel if that is the case, and if not, make sure to publish a refutation far and wide as well...either way, the truth is what matters more than party affiliation or political persuasion.

[WarGamer]

2. It was always a BS story

It first came up during the Obama administration.

It was dismissed as BS then.

[marble falls]

3. Exactly what I feared. Now this is going to be RW yammer for the next week. True or not ...

... the Russians are not our friends.