Trump’s resistance led intel agencies to brief him less and less on Russia

By Jim Sciutto, Chief National Security Correspondent

Updated 7:17 PM ET, Wed July 1, 2020

Washington (CNN)President Donald Trump’s resistance to intelligence warnings about Russia led his national security team, including those who delivered the President’s Daily Brief to brief him verbally less often on Russia-related threats to the US, multiple former Trump administration officials who briefed Trump, were present for briefings and who prepared documents for his intelligence briefings tell CNN.

As the White House denies Trump was briefed about Russia placing bounties on US soldiers in Afghanistan, which CNN has confirmed was included in the written PDB this spring, the question of what the President knew and when has moved to center stage. And it brings Trump’s aversion to hearing negative analysis about Russia into renewed focus.

Multiple former administration officials I spoke to for my upcoming book, “The Madman Theory: Trump Takes on the World,” which will be published August 11 by Harper Collins, paint a picture of a President often unwilling to hear bad news about Russia.

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Mr Logic and Reason

Article URL : https://www.cnn.com/2020/07/01/politics/trump-intel-briefings-russia/index.html