Faced with a bombshell report about Russia putting bounties on US soldiers in Afghanistan, the White House is finally taking action, by launching an investigation to find the leakers.
The Trump administration has often said it would hunt down leakers within its own ranks to no avail. This time, however, the White House seems more determined than usual.
According to Politico, the White House has opened an internal investigation to figure out who leaked intelligence about Russia allegedly offering bounties to Taliban-linked militants to kill U.S. and coalition troops in Afghanistan.
Some of the anger about the leak may have to do with the fact that the New York Times report sparked a fierce backlash against President Trump for failing to address the issue. The White House responded by denying Trump was ever briefed on the intelligence, which only led to more criticism.
The White House insists the story was overblown and the report itself is far from conclusive, although follow-up reporting provided further evidence that the bounties were real.
After a series of interviews, the administration reportedly believes it’s narrowed down the list to fewer than 10 people who had access to the intelligence.
