WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Ben Cardin (D-Md.), a senior member of the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee, today issued the following statement:

“I am severely troubled by reports that Russia offered bounties to Taliban-linked militants to kill U.S. troops in Afghanistan, as should anyone who cares for the wellbeing of our brave service members. That the White House sat on this news for months without action or notification to Congress is a breach of national security. It is imperative that the U.S. – especially the president of the United States – take seriously any threat against our troops overseas. President Trump has continually chosen to trust Vladimir Putin over the American intelligence community. U.S. troops, their families, and the American people deserve to know when this threat was revealed, who knew about it and when.”

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