Reports claim that Russia has offered bonuses to the Taliban in Afghanistan for killing American soldiers. No matter how you interpret it, this case is embarrassing for Donald Trump.
The case has been confirmed by multiple sources, and even though the president speaks of media invention, he is virtually alone in denying the facts.
These facts are clear: the American intelligence services were aware of the premiums paid to the Taliban by Russia; it is almost inconceivable that President Trump was not notified; he did not do anything.
The affair will overwhelm an already faltering re-election campaign and, like a novice driver in a snowbank, Trump sinks further with every effort he makes to get out of it.
When did Trump know?
It all comes back to the famous question asked about Nixon at the time of the Watergate: “What did the President know and when did he know it?” “
Several reports corroborate the facts. Intelligence had been aware of these bonuses since early 2019 and the information was passed on to the president.
The president denies having been informed. Who is telling the truth?
If he knew
If Trump has actually been informed, his reactions are a fabric of lies. This would not be new from a president who has issued thousands of false statements since taking office.
That he did nothing is not surprising either from a president who has never criticized Vladimir Putin, leaving room for speculation about the mysterious affection that he seems to be dedicated to the Russian autocrat.
If Trump knew, he was an accomplice in the deaths of several American and allied soldiers at the hands of the Taliban, but if he did not know, it was not much better.
Even if we accept the improbable claim of the president, who says he learned this matter at the same time as you and I, he comes out flayed.
If he didn’t know
According to some credible reports, these bonuses were mentioned in reports sent to the president. If he has not read them, it is an admission of incompetence which in no way absolves him of his responsibility.
If this data was not passed on to him because his entourage feared to upset him with inconvenient information about Russia, that would signal a rotten atmosphere at the White House.
Some even speculate that the information was hidden from him to prevent him from passing it on to Vladimir Putin, which is even worse.
Be that as it may, Donald Trump has done nothing to sanction or even harass Russia before or after this matter has been exposed. Already, his political adversaries have produced advertisements which make him pass, at worst, for a traitor, or at best, for an incompetent.
Donald Trump may tweet and blame the media as much as he wants, this case will stick to his skin.
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