It would not have made sense for U.S. intelligence officials to report an unsubstantiated claim to President Donald Trump that Russian intelligence officials offered money to Taliban militants to kill U.S. troops in Afghanistan, former deputy assistant to the president and radio show host Sebastian Gorka told Newsmax TV.
"We don't report things to the most powerful man in the world simply because they're unverified," Gorka told Monday's "Spicer & Co." "Here's a rule of thumb for the future . . . if The New York Times, if The Washington Post, if CNN, if BuzzFeed, if the HuffPost, writes a story sourced to unnamed sources, just rip it up and throw it in the trash."
"How is it that just earlier today, Kayleigh McEnany has to stand at the podium . . . and say 'Oh, the president is never briefed on unverified intelligence.' How is that news?" Gorka said.
Trump has denied he received any briefing from U.S. intelligence officials on any bounties offered by Russians to militants with connections to the Taliban. The president also said he was going to brief lawmakers on Capitol Hill on what he has learned about the bounty since the news broke Friday.
If there were any truth to the bounty story, Gorka suggested the president would have punished Russia as he has done in the past.
"This is the toughest president on Russia since Reagan," Gorka said. "This is the only president in modern history who greenlit the targeting of Russian mercenaries in the Middle East, killing more than 200 in Syria. That's who Donald Trump is.
"This idea that somebody in the administration worked out a set of options without the president being briefed that this thing has occurred, that tells you it's bogus."
He also pointed to The New York Times' constant reporting on the false stories like Trump colluded with Russia to win the 2016 presidential election as proof the publication, and many others like it, are no longer trustworthy.
"This [The New York Times] is no longer a newspaper," Gorka told Monday's "Spicer & Co." "It's not even fit for wrapping British fish and chips. This is a joke. It's absurd. These are the people who still peddle the Russian collusion hoax 3½ years later, even despite it being completely demonstrated to have been fabricated."
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