July 1, 2020 - Washington - Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), a current member and former chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, on Tuesday released the following statement on reports that Russia offered to pay the Taliban to kill American forces in Afghanistan:

            “Without commenting on any specific intelligence, I’m extremely concerned by the allegations in the press that Russia paid the Taliban to kill American forces in Afghanistan. It would also be troubling if the administration took no action in response. There are many questions the DNI, CIA and White House need to answer. 

            “The Senate and House intelligence committees need comprehensive briefings and answers to questions before the July 4 recess. Briefings for individual lawmakers at the invitation of the White House aren’t sufficient.

            “The president has claimed that neither he nor the vice president were briefed on this issue, which news reports dispute. Given that the DNI and White House have acknowledged that there were such reports, it’s hard to believe the president’s top advisors didn’t think this was important enough to bring to the president’s attention. If true, Congress must investigate what went wrong. 

            “Protecting our men and women in uniform, especially those serving in war zones around the world, is one of the intelligence community’s most important responsibilities. If these reports are true, there must be repercussions against Russia and the Taliban.”
Source: Senator Dianne Feinstein