- Title: Schiff demands U.S. weigh Russia sanctions after bounty briefing
- Date: 30th June 2020
- Summary: WASHINGTON, D.C., UNITED STATES (JUNE 30, 2020) (UNRESTRICTED POOL) ZOOM FROM HOUSE MINORITY LEADER STENY HOYER AT LECTERN TO REVEAL PRESS BRIEFING ROOM (SOUNDBITE) (English) HOUSE MINORITY LEADER STENY HOYER SAYING: "The president called this a 'hoax' publicly. Nothing in the briefing that we have just received led me to believe it is a hoax." WIDE OF BRIEFING (SOUNDBITE) (English) REPRESENTATIVE ADAM SCHIFF, CHAIRMAN OF THE U.S. HOUSE INTELLIGENCE COMMITTEE, SAYING: "Number one, the President and of the United States should not be inviting Russia into the G7 or G8. We should be considering what sanctions are appropriate to further deter Russia's malign activities. Not further ingratiating Russia into the community of civilized nations." WIDE OF BRIEFING (SOUNDBITE) (English) HOUSE MINORITY LEADER STENY HOYER, SAYING: "This is a serious matter, and we need to make sure that the members of Congress and the American public understand whether or not our relationship with the Soviet Union -- excuse me, with Russia -- is compromised by the relationship between the President and Mr. Putin. That is a danger to our country. If that is the case and this matter needs to be gotten to the bottom of. (SOUNDBITE) (English) HOUSE MINORITY LEADER STENY HOYER ANSWERING REPORTER'S QUESTION FOR MORE CLARIFICATION AS TO WHETHER OR NOT HE GOT THE IMPRESSION FROM THE WHITE HOUSE BRIEFING THAT TRUMP WAS OR WASN'T BRIEFED ABOUT THE RUSSIA BOUNTY ALLEGATIONS: "What I mean by that is I left the White House with the impression and the president has said he was not briefed. Leave it at that. Let me put it this way." (SOUNDBITE) (English) HOUSE MINORITY LEADER STENY HOYER ANSWERING REPORTER'S QUESTION WHETHER THE WHITE HOUSE BRIEFING SUGGESTED RUSSIA WAS STILL A THREAT IN AFGHANISTAN: "I don't think there's anybody on this podium podium who does not believe that the Russians remain involved in a negative way in Afghanistan." WIDE OF BRIEFING (SOUNDBITE) (English) DEMOCRATIC REPRESENTATIVE ELIOT ENGEL, SAYING: "It makes no sense whatsoever for the president and the administration not to call out Putin. I don't understand what it is with the president's infatuation with Putin. If you just look at the facts and you say, 'OK, what happened?' I mean, this comes into question the fact that there was a bounty put on American troops. If that isn't something to go crazy about, then I don't know what is." WIDE OF ROOM
- Embargoed: 14th July 2020 17:36
- Keywords: Adam Schiff Hoyer Putin Russia Trump bounty lawmakers
- Location: WASHINGTON, D.C., UNITED STATES
- City: WASHINGTON, D.C., UNITED STATES
- Country: USA
- Topics: Government/Politics
- Reuters ID: LVA001CKKCMDJ
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text:The United States should weigh new sanctions on Russia to deter its "malign" actions, a senior Democratic lawmaker said on Tuesday (June 30) after a White House briefing on a reported Russian effort to pay the Taliban to kill U.S. soldiers in Afghanistan.
Representative Adam Schiff, chairman of the House Intelligence committee, told reporters after the White House briefing that Trump should not be courting Russian President Vladimir Putin by inviting him to a Group of Seven (G7) summit of leading industrial nations but rather should impose costs on Moscow.
Democratic members of Congress emerged from the briefing critical of U.S. President Donald Trump, who the New York Times reported had received a written intelligence briefing on the suspected Russian program in February.
The White House has said Trump did not receive a personal briefing on the issue but has yet to squarely address whether he had received a written briefing, whether he had read it, and why he had not responded more aggressively if he had.
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