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Surprise! The ‘Russian Bounty’ Story - Turned Out To Be Fake News

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  • Surprise! The ‘Russian Bounty’ Story - Turned Out To Be Fake News

    Surprise! The ‘Russian Bounty’ Story Hyped Up By Corrupt Media To Hurt Trump Turned Out To Be Fake News

    APRIL 15, 2021 By Jordan Davidson
    New reports show that U.S. intelligence had “low to moderate” confidence in a story peddled by leftists and their corrupt corporate media cronies last year. The anonymously sourced story claimed Russia offered members of the Taliban bounties in exchange for killing American soldiers.

    “The United States intelligence community assesses with low to moderate confidence that Russian intelligence officers sought to encourage Taliban attacks U.S. and coalition personnel in Afghanistan in 2019 and perhaps earlier,” a senior administration official said on Thursday.

    “U.S. intelligence community agencies have low to moderate confidence in this judgment in part because it relies on detainee reporting, and due to the challenging operating environment in Afghanistan, our conclusion is based on information and evidence of connections between criminal agents in Afghanistan and elements of the Russian government,” the official continued.

    Last summer, corporate media outlets ranging from the Washington Post and the New York Times to CNN and MSNBC treated the claim from unnamed intelligence sources as gospel truth and used it to fuel their anti-Trump narratives ahead of the 2020 election. These are the same media outlets that peddled false narratives about the debunked Russia collusion hoax.

    The first to state his case seems right until another comes and cross-examines him.

  • #2
    Originally posted by Cow Poke View Post
    Surprise! The ‘Russian Bounty’ Story Hyped Up By Corrupt Media To Hurt Trump Turned Out To Be Fake News

    APRIL 15, 2021 By Jordan Davidson
    New reports show that U.S. intelligence had “low to moderate” confidence in a story peddled by leftists and their corrupt corporate media cronies last year. The anonymously sourced story claimed Russia offered members of the Taliban bounties in exchange for killing American soldiers.

    “The United States intelligence community assesses with low to moderate confidence that Russian intelligence officers sought to encourage Taliban attacks U.S. and coalition personnel in Afghanistan in 2019 and perhaps earlier,” a senior administration official said on Thursday.

    “U.S. intelligence community agencies have low to moderate confidence in this judgment in part because it relies on detainee reporting, and due to the challenging operating environment in Afghanistan, our conclusion is based on information and evidence of connections between criminal agents in Afghanistan and elements of the Russian government,” the official continued.

    Last summer, corporate media outlets ranging from the Washington Post and the New York Times to CNN and MSNBC treated the claim from unnamed intelligence sources as gospel truth and used it to fuel their anti-Trump narratives ahead of the 2020 election. These are the same media outlets that peddled false narratives about the debunked Russia collusion hoax.
    I brought that up a couple days back in the Afghanistan thread after seanD asked "if intelligence will accuse Biden of ignoring bounties being put on US troops by the Russians in order to stop [the withdrawing of troops]" although it could use its own thread given how so many here made such a fuss over it.
    Originally posted by rogue06 View Post
    Well, surprise, surprise, surprise!


    Source: U.S. Intel Walks Back Claim Russians Put Bounties on American Troops


    t was a blockbuster story about Russia’s return to the imperial “Great Game” in Afghanistan. The Kremlin had spread money around the longtime central Asian battlefield for militants to kill remaining U.S. forces. It sparked a massive outcry from Democrats and their #resistance amplifiers about the treasonous Russian puppet in the White House whose admiration for Vladimir Putin had endangered American troops.

    But on Thursday, the Biden administration announced that U.S. intelligence only had "low to moderate" confidence in the story after all. Translated from the jargon of spyworld, that means the intelligence agencies have found the story is, at best, unproven -- and possibly untrue.

    "The United States intelligence community assesses with low to moderate confidence that Russian intelligence officers sought to encourage Taliban attacks U.S. and coalition personnel in Afghanistan in 2019 and perhaps earlier," a senior administration official said.

    "This information puts a burden on the Russian government to explain its actions and take steps to address this disturbing pattern of behavior," the official said, indicating that Biden is unprepared to walk the story back fully.

    Significantly, the Biden team announced a raft of sanctions on Thursday. But those sanctions, targeting Russia’s sovereign debt market, are prompted only by Russia’s interference in the 2020 election and its alleged role in the SolarWinds cyber espionage. (In contrast, Biden administration officials said that their assessment attributing the breach of technology company SolarWinds to hackers from Russia’s Foreign Intelligence Service was "high confidence.")

    "We have noted our conclusion of the review that we conducted on the bounties issue and we have conveyed through diplomatic, intelligence, and military channels strong, direct messages on this issue, but we are not specifically tying the actions we are taking today to that matter," a senior administration official told reporters in reference to the bounty claims.

    According to the officials on Thursday’s call, the reporting about the alleged "bounties" came from "detainee reporting" -- raising the specter that someone told their U.S.-aligned Afghan jailers what they thought was necessary to get out of a cage. Specifically, the official cited "information and evidence of connections to criminal agents in Afghanistan and elements of the Russian government" as sources for the intelligence community’s assessment.



    Source

    © Copyright Original Source



    [*story continues at hyperlink above*]


    I'm always still in trouble again

    "You're by far the worst poster on TWeb" and "TWeb's biggest liar" --starlight (the guy who says Stalin was a right-winger)
    "Overall I would rate the withdrawal from Afghanistan as by far the best thing Biden's done" --Starlight
    "Of course, human life begins at fertilization that’s not the argument." --Tassman

    Comment


    • #3
      And now it has its very own thread.
      The first to state his case seems right until another comes and cross-examines him.

      Comment


      • #4
        I'm trying to remember the trolls on here who were pushing it. I know Liconafan was pushing it HARD.

        Comment


        • #5
          Originally posted by seanD View Post
          I'm trying to remember the trolls on here who were pushing it. I know Liconafan was pushing it HARD.
          Yeah, there were several who were full-blown outraged that Trump would ignore such a diabolical [fake] plot.
          The first to state his case seems right until another comes and cross-examines him.

          Comment


          • #6
            Originally posted by Cow Poke View Post

            Yeah, there were several who were full-blown outraged that Trump would ignore such a diabolical [fake] plot.
            And that it was "Proof!" that he was in cahoots with the Rooskies and Putin.

            Even at the time it was clear this was nothing but a rumor but if Trump didn't escalate hostilities over it then he was a traitor who hated the troops.

            I'm always still in trouble again

            "You're by far the worst poster on TWeb" and "TWeb's biggest liar" --starlight (the guy who says Stalin was a right-winger)
            "Overall I would rate the withdrawal from Afghanistan as by far the best thing Biden's done" --Starlight
            "Of course, human life begins at fertilization that’s not the argument." --Tassman

            Comment


            • #7
              It never made much sense.

              1) Why place a bounty on the heads of Americans when they were already targets? How is money going to motivate people who are already motivated by philosophy?
              2) How would it benefit Russia if more Americans died? Keep us in Afghanistan longer? Make us leave earlier? Neither is a boon to Russia.
              3) Why engage in something that has little-to-no-gain, but massive risk to reputation and prestige on the world stage (if caught)?

              No, it never smelled right. It was just another "Russia Boogeyman" story by the MSM to put Trump in a bad spot.

              Comment


              • #8
                FYI.

                The Federalist is a 501c3 organization, funded by a small number of anonymous donors. It generates no meaningful revenue. Its donor list is generally protected, though foundation funding can be determined from their required 990 disclosures, and includes DonorsTrust (2019 records, PDF, p. 54)

                2021-04-16_16-13-20.jpg

                and the Ed Uihlein Foundation (2019 records, PDF, p. 12).

                2021-04-16_16-08-06.jpg

                It would appear that they lack sufficient credibility to support confidence in their charges of corruption. I'll leave it to others to judge any distinction between irony and the chutzpah of a privately-funded media outlet deflecting claims of corruption onto advertiser- and reader-supported media, and similarly, whether "low to moderate confidence" can justifiably be translated as false.

                My focus is on supporting public health measures in the current pandemic that has taken more lives in one year in the US than any military conflict in our history, and is fast approaching the final toll of our most costly conflict, the Civil War, numerically if not proportionately. As such, the Federalist attracts my attention as it has provided a consistent voice against public health measures directed toward reducing the toll of the Covid-19 pandemic.

                Thoughtful readers may wish to consider whether positions in clear opposition to science can honestly be cast as political.

                Comment


                • #9


                  BBC:
                  Source: Afghanistan war: US spies doubt reports of Russian 'bounties' for troops


                  The White House has acknowledged there was little evidence that Russia had offered Taliban militants bounties to kill US soldiers in Afghanistan.

                  A spokeswoman for President Joe Biden said the claim had "low to moderate confidence" from US spy chiefs.

                  Russia has denied paying the bounties. In last year's US election, Mr Biden heavily criticised Donald Trump for not confronting Russia over the claim.

                  It comes amid new sanctions on Russia and US plans to leave Afghanistan.


                  Source

                  © Copyright Original Source



                  [*bolding in original*]

                  WSJ:
                  Source: Intelligence Was Limited That Russia Offered Bounties on U.S. Troops, White House Says[/url


                  Administration assigns ‘low to moderate’ confidence in intelligence behind explosive reports

                  The Biden administration Thursday said it didn’t have solid intelligence that Russia had offered bounties to Afghan militants to kill U.S. troops, reports that last summer shook up U.S.-Russia relations, increased tensions between the U.S. and the Taliban during a troop drawdown and prompted bipartisan condemnation over the Trump administration’s inaction.

                  On Thursday, the administration said U.S. intelligence had only "low to moderate confidence" in the reports of the alleged bounty program.

                  The administration expressly declined to link the latest sanctions and expulsions of Russian diplomats undertaken Thursday to the bounty reports.

                  But in listing the bounties as a point of tension with Russia alongside the SolarWinds hack of government and corporate computer systems and interference in elections -- actions U.S. intelligence attributes to Moscow -- the administration aimed to put Moscow on notice and to protect U.S. troops remaining in Afghanistan until the withdrawal is complete in September.


                  Source

                  © Copyright Original Source




                  NBC:
                  Source: Remember those Russian bounties for dead U.S. troops? Biden admin says the CIA intel is not conclusive


                  The Biden administration made clear Thursday that the CIA has only "low to moderate confidence" in its intel on alleged Russian bounties for U.S. troops.

                  While he was campaigning for president, Joe Biden treated as fact that U.S. intel agencies had determined Russia had paid the Taliban to kill Americans in Afghanistan.

                  "I don't understand why this president is unwilling to take on Putin when he's actually paying bounties to kill American soldiers in Afghanistan," Biden said of President Trump, speaking to Kristen Welker of NBC News during the Oct. 22 presidential debate.

                  Such a definitive statement was questionable even then. On Thursday, it became more clear that the truth of the matter is unresolved.

                  Last fall, while Biden was a candidate, Pentagon officials told NBC News they could not substantiate that such bounties were paid.

                  They still have not found any evidence, a senior defense official said Thursday. And the Biden administration also made clear in a fact sheet released Thursday that the CIA's intelligence on the matter is far from conclusive, acknowledging that analysts labeled it "low to moderate confidence."


                  Source

                  © Copyright Original Source



                  AP:
                  Source: White House: Intel on Russian ‘bounties’ on US troops shaky


                  The White House says that the intelligence community does not have conclusive evidence that Russian intelligence operatives encouraged the Taliban to attack American troops in Afghanistan.

                  The assessment, revealed Thursday as the U.S. announced a host of new sanctions on the Russian government, undermines one of the sharpest attacks Joe Biden and other Democrats leveled against former President Donald Trump during the 2020 White House race. Biden repeatedly attacked Trump on the campaign trail for not standing up to Russian President Vladimir Putin despite his administration being aware of intelligence suggesting Russian agents were offering bounties to the Taliban.


                  Source

                  © Copyright Original Source



                  Fox:
                  Source: Media critics erupt after Russia bounty story fizzles: 'Nonsense from the beginning'


                  Press, Democrats went wild on unverified story in 2020

                  In yet another example of a dramatic mainstream media narrative imploding, the intelligence community has backed off reports that Russia placed bounties on the heads of U.S. soldiers in Afghanistan.

                  A senior Biden administration official said Thursday the intelligence community only had "low to moderate" confidence in the Russian bounty story, meaning it is unproven and possibly untrue, due to a reliance on "detainee reporting." The revelation came as the administration announced a new series of sanctions against Russia for a host of reasons, but the bounty story was not among them.


                  Source

                  © Copyright Original Source



                  Axios:
                  Source: Intel officials have "low to moderate" confidence in reports of Russian bounties on U.S. troops


                  U.S. intelligence officials have "low to moderate confidence" in reports that surfaced last year that Russia had offered bounties to Taliban-linked militants for killing U.S. troops stationed in Afghanistan, according to The Guardian.

                  Why it matters: The news comes as the Biden administration unveiled a spate of sanctions against Russian officials and entities on Thursday. The bounty reports, however, were not a factor in the decision to pass sanctions.

                  The big picture: According to administration officials, the "low to moderate" rating is due to the fact that the bounty reports originated from "detainee reporting and because of the difficult operating environment in Afghanistan," per the Guardian.

                  The accompanying fact sheet the administration released regarding the sanctions notes that the administration is "responding" to the bounty reports, but that the issue will be dealt with through "diplomatic, military and intelligence channels."

                  What they're saying: "The safety and well-being of U.S. military personnel, and that of our allies and partners, is an absolute priority of the United States," the fact sheet states.


                  Source

                  © Copyright Original Source



                  All the above continue at their respective hyperlinks except the last one which was short and pithy enough to include in its entirety.

                  As the source I originally cited noted when they say that Intelligence officials have "low to moderate" confidence in the reports,

                  Translated from the jargon of spyworld, that means the intelligence agencies have found the story is, at best, unproven -- and possibly untrue.


                  So these reports never arose to a level higher than a unsubstantiated rumor, it is a good thing that calmer, wiser heads prevailed and we didn't escalate tensions over a baseless claim.





                  I'm always still in trouble again

                  "You're by far the worst poster on TWeb" and "TWeb's biggest liar" --starlight (the guy who says Stalin was a right-winger)
                  "Overall I would rate the withdrawal from Afghanistan as by far the best thing Biden's done" --Starlight
                  "Of course, human life begins at fertilization that’s not the argument." --Tassman

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    Originally posted by Juvenal View Post

                    FYI.

                    The Federalist is a 501c3 organization, funded by a small number of anonymous donors. It generates no meaningful revenue. Its donor list is generally protected, though foundation funding can be determined from their required 990 disclosures, and includes DonorsTrust (2019 records, PDF, p. 54)

                    2021-04-16_16-13-20.jpg

                    and the Ed Uihlein Foundation (2019 records, PDF, p. 12).

                    2021-04-16_16-08-06.jpg

                    It would appear that they lack sufficient credibility to support confidence in their charges of corruption. I'll leave it to others to judge any distinction between irony and the chutzpah of a privately-funded media outlet deflecting claims of corruption onto advertiser- and reader-supported media, and similarly, whether "low to moderate confidence" can justifiably be translated as false.

                    My focus is on supporting public health measures in the current pandemic that has taken more lives in one year in the US than any military conflict in our history, and is fast approaching the final toll of our most costly conflict, the Civil War, numerically if not proportionately. As such, the Federalist attracts my attention as it has provided a consistent voice against public health measures directed toward reducing the toll of the Covid-19 pandemic.

                    Thoughtful readers may wish to consider whether positions in clear opposition to science can honestly be cast as political.
                    The story is supported by mainstream sources. The Federalist is just good at cataloging all the MSM networks that vehemently pushed the story on the flimsiest of evidence, in spite of the fact the story didn't even make logical sense.

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      Originally posted by Juvenal View Post

                      FYI.

                      The Federalist is a 501c3 organization, funded by a small number of anonymous donors....
                      Yes, I'm aware of that - but it doesn't mean they aren't truthfully assembling other sources into a story.
                      The first to state his case seems right until another comes and cross-examines him.

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        Originally posted by Cow Poke View Post

                        Yes, I'm aware of that - but it doesn't mean they aren't truthfully assembling other sources into a story.
                        Not the first time Juv has tried to smear a source instead of addressing the content. He's the king of the ad hominem fallacy.
                        Some may call me foolish, and some may call me odd
                        But I'd rather be a fool in the eyes of man
                        Than a fool in the eyes of God


                        From "Fools Gold" by Petra

                        Comment


                        • #13
                          Originally posted by Cow Poke View Post
                          Surprise! The ‘Russian Bounty’ Story Hyped Up By Corrupt Media To Hurt Trump Turned Out To Be Fake News

                          APRIL 15, 2021 By Jordan Davidson
                          New reports show that U.S. intelligence had “low to moderate” confidence in a story peddled by leftists and their corrupt corporate media cronies last year. The anonymously sourced story claimed Russia offered members of the Taliban bounties in exchange for killing American soldiers.

                          “The United States intelligence community assesses with low to moderate confidence that Russian intelligence officers sought to encourage Taliban attacks U.S. and coalition personnel in Afghanistan in 2019 and perhaps earlier,” a senior administration official said on Thursday.

                          “U.S. intelligence community agencies have low to moderate confidence in this judgment in part because it relies on detainee reporting, and due to the challenging operating environment in Afghanistan, our conclusion is based on information and evidence of connections between criminal agents in Afghanistan and elements of the Russian government,” the official continued.

                          Last summer, corporate media outlets ranging from the Washington Post and the New York Times to CNN and MSNBC treated the claim from unnamed intelligence sources as gospel truth and used it to fuel their anti-Trump narratives ahead of the 2020 election. These are the same media outlets that peddled false narratives about the debunked Russia collusion hoax.
                          https://www.washingtonpost.com/polit...-intelligence/

                          Seems that the govt has been connecting the dots. They determined that Manafort, who ran Trump's first election campaign, directed Gates to provide sensitive polling data to a Russian spy, and there is now evidence that that spy passed that info to the Kremlin.

                          It is not a hoax.

                          Comment


                          • #14
                            Originally posted by seanD View Post
                            I'm trying to remember the trolls on here who were pushing it. I know Liconafan was pushing it HARD.
                            Here's the original thread:

                            https://theologyweb.com/campus/forum...in-afghanistan
                            Some may call me foolish, and some may call me odd
                            But I'd rather be a fool in the eyes of man
                            Than a fool in the eyes of God


                            From "Fools Gold" by Petra

                            Comment


                            • #15
                              Originally posted by Mountain Man View Post
                              Ah, that was before that weirdo (DivineOb) was using his LiconaFan alias.

                              Comment

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