White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany says The New York Times report that revealed Russia is paying the Taliban to murder U.S. soldiers was used to brief President Donald Trump on the matter. She did not reveal if any intelligence from U.S. sources, like the CIA, was also used.
“The president has been briefed on what is unfortunately in the public domain because of The New York Times,” McEnany told reporters who pressed her on why Trump – according to the White House and the President – was never briefed. She also, as several other White House officials have done, attacked the “irresponsible leaks.”
McEnany falsely claimed “there is no consensus on this intelligence,” but reporting shows the supposed lack of consensus is mostly minimal. The New York Times on Tuesday reported that it has identified the high-dollar bank transfers between the Russian military unit and the Taliban.
McEnany went on to claim that President Donald Trump “does read,” and “is the most informed person on planet earth when it comes to the threats that we face.”
Again, reporting debunks that claim.