Worse than you thought.

<thread>

NYT: Pompeo issued "stern warning" to Russian counterpart on #RussianBounty ( @ewong @Eric_Schmitt reporting)

1. So why is Pompeo shy to admit it publicly?

NYT reports may be "to avoid potential fury from Mr. Trump"!! https://www.nytimes.com/2020/08/07/world/asia/pompeo-russia-afghanistan-bounties.html
Pompeo Warned Russia Against Bounties on U.S. Troops in Afghanistan

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is said to have sternly discussed payouts and red lines in a telephone call with Sergey V. Lavrov, Russia’s foreign minister.

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/08/07/world/asia/pompeo-russia-afghanistan-bounties.html
2. Think about that.

It's not just President Trump failing to raise the bounty issue with Putin.

It is President Trump's potential fury if others in the US government raise it with Russia or do so publicly.
3. That would also help explain why after SecDef Mattis repeatedly publicly raised Russian arming of Taliban, SecDef Esper went silent.

This part of the Timeline.👇 https://twitter.com/rgoodlaw/status/1288453353345777664
4. NYT: Pompeo's stern warning to Russians "runs counter to President Trump’s insistence that the intelligence from U.S. government agencies over the matter is a "hoax.'"

Yep.

It also frankly raises Qs about Gen. McKenzie's casting doubt on reporting.👇 https://twitter.com/rgoodlaw/status/1280676327809601536
5. That said, as I noted initially, Gen. McKenzie may have been raising questions about intelligence on whether the bounty program resulted in US deaths—not as much about the existence of the program. https://twitter.com/rgoodlaw/status/1280675590484504579
6/6 Finally, as former Trump Envoy @brett_mcgurk has been consistently pointing out, Pompeo's raising issue with Lavrov is ineffective at best—if not damaging and worse—without Trump raising it directly with Putin.

McGurk's comment on today's NYT report: https://twitter.com/brett_mcgurk/status/1291779503383932928
Addendum

As the NYT notes, reporting by @ErinBanco @swin24 (July 29, 2020) was first to break story of State Department's issuing warning to Russian counterparts. https://www.thedailybeast.com/us-warns-russia-on-bounties-while-trump-cries-fake-news?via=twitter_page
U.S. Warns Russia on Bounties While Trump Cries ‘Fake News’

The secret warnings stand in contrast to what President Trump has said about the intelligence in question.

https://www.thedailybeast.com/us-warns-russia-on-bounties-while-trump-cries-fake-news?via=twitter_page
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