CIA official chose not to tell Trump of Russia bounty report, top adviser claims

The US national security adviser said a CIA official tasked with briefing the president decided not to tell him about reports that Russia paid bounties to the Taliban for killing American soldiers because it was “unverified intelligence”. The claim from Robert O’Brien came as top members of the administration gave differing accounts on the status of intelligence reports on Russian bounty payments, and why Trump had not taken action in response, but had repeatedly pressed to re-admit Russia to the G7 club of nations. Trump himself continued to suggest that the allegations of Russia paying Taliban fighters to kill Americans were a “hoax”. It has been reported that the intelligence was...