Retired General Colin Powell Accuses Media of ‘Almost Hysterical’ Coverage of Russia-Taliban Bounty Program: ‘It Got Kind Of Out Of Control’
Colin Powell accused the media of overhyping the blockbuster report that Russia paid Taliban soldiers to kill United States troops in Afghanistan. On Thursday afternoon, during an appearance in MSNBC, Collins downplayed the intelligence reports because military commanders on the ground weren’t too worried, he said. The former Secretary of State also said the media’s coverage “got kind of out of control” in the first days following the report.
A June 26 exposé in the New York Times cited U.S. intelligence officials detailing a Russia-funded bounty program to kill US soldiers and claimed President Donald Trump knew about it for months. All three major networks covered the story and The Washington Post reported about the new details in the coming days.
White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany attacked the media’s coverage of the story and said, “I really think that it’s time for The New York Times to step back and ask themselves why they have been so wrong so often.”
On Thursday, Powell wouldn’t attack the credibility of the reports, but said the media’s wall-to-wall coverage was “almost hysterical.”
“I know that our military commanders on the ground did not think that it was as serious a problem as the newspapers were reporting and television was reporting,” Powell said in an interview with MSNBC’s Andrea Mitchell. “It got kind of out of control before we really had an understanding of what had happened. I’m not sure we fully understand now.”
“It’s our commanders who are going to go deal with this kind of a threat, using intelligence given to them by the intelligence community,” Powell continued. “But that has to be analyzed. It has to be attested. And then you have to go find out who the enemy is. And I think we were on top of that one, but it just got almost hysterical in the first few days.”
Powell went on to describe the priorities of the U.S. Army, and how Russia isn’t one of them right now.
“I don’t think we’re in a position to go to war with the Russians,” Powell said. “I know Mr. [Vladimir] Putin rather well. He’s just figuring out a way to stay in power until 2036. The last thing he’s looking for is a war, and the last thing he’s looking for is a war with the United States of America.”
Watch above, via MSNBC.
