The president did not identify which officials from former President George W. Bushs administration had spoken dismissively of the alleged Russian bounties, but he told reporters outside the White House on Wednesday that former Secretary of State Colin Powell says its not true.

Powell criticized the medias initial reaction to the bounty story earlier this month, telling MSNBC that our military commanders on the ground did not think that it was as serious a problem as the newspapers were reporting and television was reporting.

News of the bounties came to light last month after The New York Times first reported that U.S. intelligence officials concluded the Kremlins military intelligence unit offered to pay Taliban-linked militants in Afghanistan to kill American troops and other coalition forces there.

Top administration officials have been inconsistent in their explanations of the extent to which Trump was briefed on the bounties, but POLITICO reported earlier this month that the White House told congressional lawmakers the relevant intelligence was included in the presidents daily written brief in late February.

Trump claimed Tuesday that the bounty intelligence never reached my desk because intelligence community officials didnt think it was real, adding: If it reached my desk, I would have done something about it.

The president also professed, however, that he reads his daily brief, contradicting the defenses of White House allies who claimed Trump only declined to take more forceful action against Russia because he does not regularly review the written intelligence document.

I read a lot. You know, I read a lot, Trump said. They like to say I dont read. I read a lot. I comprehend extraordinarily well, probably better than anybody that youve interviewed in a long time. I read a lot.

Trump is known to prefer receiving verbal briefings, and his public schedule reveals a sporadic record of in-person sessions with intelligence officials unlike the agendas of past presidents who were briefed daily and usually first thing in the morning.

Usually its once a day, or at least two or three times a week, Trump said of his briefing schedule.

Trumps remarks Tuesday represented the White Houses first public confirmation that he did not discuss the bounties when he spoke with Putin last Thursday.

According to a White House readout of the call, the two leaders talked about efforts to defeat the coronavirus pandemic while continuing to reopen global economies, as well as critical bilateral and global issues.

Trump also reiterated his hope of avoiding an expensive three-way arms race between China, Russia, and the United States and looked forward to progress on upcoming arms control negotiations in Vienna, the White House said.

On Tuesday, Trump said he and Putin had a call talking about nuclear proliferation, which is a very big subject where they would like to do something, and so would I. We discussed numerous things.

But as for the alleged Russian bounties, Trump said: I have never discussed it with him, no. I would. I have no problem with it.

Both White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany and the president have refused to comment in recent days on whether the bounties came up in the latest conversation between Trump and Putin.

At a White House briefing last Friday, McEnany told reporters she was not on the call and that the bounty intelligence is unverified still to this day, claiming there are dissenting opinions within the intel community.

We dont talk about what we discuss, but we had plenty of discussion, and I think it was very productive, Trump said Monday of his conversation with Putin, during a visit to a vaccine production plant in North Carolina.

Trump also was asked Tuesday about U.S. intelligence that Russia had been supplying weapons to the Taliban, and he justified the alleged Kremlin arms program by pointing to U.S. support for Afghan fighters during the Soviet Unions war there in the 1980s.

Well, we supplied weapons when they were fighting Russia, too. You know, when they were fighting with the Taliban in Afghanistan, Trump said.

Trump suggested he had not been formally briefed on intelligence suggesting that Russia was arming the Taliban intelligence endorsed by Trumps own former commander of U.S. and NATO-led international forces in Afghanistan, retired Army Gen. John W. Nicholson.

Im just saying, we did that, too, Trump said. I dont know. I didnt ask Nicholson about that. He was there for a long time. Didnt have great success because, you know, he was there before me. And then ultimately, I made a change.

Trump said he had heard Russia was arming Taliban fighters, but added: Again, its never reached my desk.

The presidents likening of recent Russian activity in Afghanistan to decades-old U.S. foreign policy is reminiscent of other statements Trump has issued in apparent defense of Putins authoritarian regime.

When he was asked in 2015 about the high-profile murders of several journalists who had been critical of the Russian leader, Trump memorably told MSNBC: Well, I think our country does plenty of killing also.

And after Bill OReilly, then of Fox News, characterized Putin as a killer in an interview with the president in 2017, Trump responded: You got a lot of killers. What, you think our countrys so innocent?

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A lot of people said its a fake issue: Trump confirms he didnt raise Russian bounties with Putin - POLITICO