A slightly nuanced take on the implosion of the Russia bounties story, which is indicative only of how discourse on this website is not only unhelpful but an obstacle to the fullest understanding of events. Apologies in advance, but it’s a thread…
When the story broke, my take on it was A) we shouldn’t know about it, because leaking this claim all but forecloses on the possibility of substantiating it sufficient to prove the charge. But also B) it’s *plausible.* commentarymagazine.com/noah-rothman/w… Here’s why…
If you recall, when the story dropped it was accompanied with the allegation that Iran was also putting a price on American heads. cnn.com/2020/08/17/pol… That allegation is supported by evidence and testimony going back to 2005 fdd.org/analysis/2010/…
What’s more, the notion that Russia has been providing political and material support for the Taliban isn’t new. In 2016, U.S. brass and Afghan intelligence began raising some suspicious red flags regarding Russian contacts with insurgents. reuters.com/article/us-afg…
In 2018, Gen. John Nicholson warned that Russia was providing material support for Taliban operations against Afghan targets and their American support. bbc.com/news/world-asi…
So, when the bounties allegation broke, it had a supporting back story. The problem was (and remains) that the allegation was treated not just as a fact, but as evidence that Trump was a Russian sleeper agent.
That line colored the coverage, and it is coloring the backlash. The right is now calling for professional consequences over this story, the merits of which are debatable. But the notion that every right-thinking person *knew* this was bunk at the time isn’t credible.
We debated all this on today’s podcast. That’s a good and healthy thing to do, and you should listen to it: commentarymagazine.com/john-podhoretz…
Malign Russian influence isn't a domestic political story but a matter of geostrategic and military significance. The allegations of Russian material support for anti-American forces aren’t dispelled, for example, but they are now subsumed in a typhoon of negative partisanship.
In sum, that’s this is a terrible place. The end.
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