Trump administration narrows suspects in Russia bounties leak investigation

[left-of-center2012]

Top White House officials have reportedly narrowed the list of potential individuals who could have leaked information about Russian agents providing funds to Taliban-linked militants to target American troops in Afghanistan.

Politico Playbook reported Tuesday that fewer than 10 people remain on a list of suspects in the internal investigation, a sign that President Trump is serious about finding and possibly punishing whichever official was behind the leak to the media.

Congressional Republicans including Sen. Ben Sasse (R-Neb.) have also joined in on the criticism, demanding a firm response from the president, who has argued that intelligence surrounding the bounties was not credible.

"I'm interested in hearing the administration speak clearly about their plans that aren't just hypothetical sanctions sometime out in the future, but what should we be doing now to make [Russian intelligence] have more doubts about their behavior not just in Afghanistan but more broadly," Sasse told The Hill this week.

We shouldn’t be cozied up to Russia or giving them favors of any kind,” added his colleague, Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah). “What we do know is Russia’s been helping the Taliban, the Taliban’s been killing Americans, and that’s all I need to know to know that we should be tough on Russia. I certainly wouldn’t want to be inviting them to the G-7,” (referring to the Group of Seven).

White House officials have engaged in numerous hunts for leakers throughout Trump's first term, though most have fizzled out without resulting in notable firings.

https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/506147-trump-administration-narrows-suspects-in-russia-bounty-leak

[Proud Liberal Dem]

1. So, instead of going after Russia

He's decided to go to war against people whom leaked the information? Brilliant.

[Jamastiene]

6. It is so transparent, isn't it?

He should have to pay the money it costs back to the American people.

[grumpyduck]

8. Distraction.

Magicians call it misdirection.

[Proud Liberal Dem]

15. Of course

Trump's MO

[agingdem]

2. And the suspect is Miss Scarlett in the conservatory

with a candlestick...that was easy

[NCjack]

19. My candidate is: the best of the 10 that he hired. It is

always the one with the best credentials. Kinda embarrassing since TRE45ON only hires THE Best.

[underpants]

3. I'm sorry but shouldn't you already know who the leaker is?

It’s been 3 + years of leak after leak. Wouldn’t you figure sources by containing info to certain groups and finding out where specific info was coming from?
These 5 people get this info and these 5 get this. Test with other info to see if you can ID 2-3 people in each group. Every once in a while give them bullshit so you know exactly where it comes from.

I’m not that smart to be able to figure that out.

[soothsayer]

5. Shhhh, don't tell

[agingdem]

22. But the orange maggot is quietly banking 10% per bounty

he has to make up the Mar-a-Lago budget shortfall somehow..now tell me that hasn't crossed your mind???

[Phoenix61]

4. He's playing a losing game of whack-mole.

Whoever leaked that has access to a lot more. If I knew I was going down I’d go for a “Down in a blaze of glory” scenario.

[lagomorph777]

7. I'm glad they're working hard to fix the Pay For Slay problem.

Too bad they think the problem is the leak, rather than Turd's criminal complicity in murdering US troops.

[Arkansas Granny]

9. Am I reading this right? Are they going after the "leakers" instead of calling Russia out

for placing bounties on the heads of our soldiers? Trump might as well move Putin into the West Wing for the rest of his term and cut out the middle man.

[Raster]

10. But of course.

[chriscan64]

11. When presidents took briefings instead of watching TV

there was less need to leak to the press. If a threat was false, nothing had to be done or said. If true, responses were crafted and the release of information to the public was considered. The right choice was not always made on this issue, but overall the system worked.

What we have now is dereliction at best and treason at worst. In between, the unanswered questions sit like a 400 pound gorilla. If he really didn't know, then there is another line of inquiry as to why not. None of the possible options pass muster. The most charitable of these options is that Trump simply does not do his job. Circumstantial evidence points to a darker reality.

[Arkansas Granny]

12. Assuming that he did not know, he knows now and still hasn't done squat about it.

[chriscan64]

16. That too.

The silence is the main part of the circumstantial evidence of Russian appeasement or compromise. The worst possible reality is most likely the truth.

[StarfishSaver]

13. More concerned about leaks than our troops

Got it.

[C_U_L8R]

14. Hunting patriotic whistleblowers is more important than troop lives?

Meanwhile Trump has done squat about Putin murder troops by bounty. They've betrayed everyone but their bank accounts.

[2naSalit]

20. +1

[spanone]

17. No problem with Russians killing our soldiers.....

but WHO THE FUCK LEAKED IT.

[edhopper]

18. They lost

when they try to turn the story to the "leakers", it means they lost and can't run away from the story.

It never works.

[2naSalit]

21. The understanding to -45

is that the military are like his slaves... he's C in C so they HAVE to do as he commands. I'm sure it arouses him.

The sooner he is neutralized the better.

[Nevilledog]

23. If it's a leak then that's confirmation the info is true.

If it was a hoax then it's made up so there would have been nothing to leak.

[Champp]

24. Republicans care about the "leak" not about our US troops

Perverted draft-dodging Republican bastards are betraying our soldiers.