WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump on Sunday denied that he had been briefed on reported U.S. intelligence that a Russian military intelligence unit secretly offered bounties to Taliban-linked militants for killing American troops in Afghanistan, and he appeared to minimize the allegations against Moscow. American intelligence officials concluded months ago that Russian officials offered rewards for successful attacks on American service-members last year, at a time when the U.S. and Taliban were holding talks to end the long-running war, according to The New York Times. The White House had issued a statement Saturday denying that Trump or Pence had been briefed on such intelligence. “This is as bad as it gets, and yet the president will not confront the Russians on this score, denies being briefed. Biden criticized Trump for “his embarrassing campaign of deference and debasing himself” before Russian leader Vladimir Putin.