Trump says he didn't bring up Russian bounties in recent call with Putin

President Trump is claiming ignorance to defend his recent resistance to confront Russia.

In a video interview aired Wednesday, Axios' Jonathan Swan asked Trump if he'd mentioned reports indicating Russia offered Taliban fighters bounties to kill U.S. troops in a recent call with Russian President Vladimir Putin. "That was a phone call to discuss other things," Trump said, blowing off the whole issue as "fake news."

Trump then claimed he didn't even know about the Russian bounties despite reports saying it was included in his intelligence briefings. "It never reached my desk," Trump said, prompting Swan to ask the president if he reads his written intelligence briefings. That turned into a defense of Trump's comprehensive abilities and his attendance at intelligence meetings.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up

Regardless, Swan continued, Trump's former head of forces in Afghanistan John Nicholson has publicly said "Russia is supplying weapons to the Taliban." "Well, we supplied weapons when they were fighting Russia," Trump countered, spinning the question before saying that issue also "never reached my desk." Watch the whole clip below. Kathryn Krawczyk