U.S. President Donald Trump said he never questioned Russian leader Vladimir Putin about U.S. intelligence reports that Moscow paid the Taliban to kill American troops in Afghanistan, casting doubt on the reports in an interview.

Eight Republican lawmakers attended a White House briefing about explosive allegations that Russia secretly offered bounties to Taliban-linked militants for killing American troops in Afghanistan — intelligence the White House insisted the president himself had not been fully read in on.

The assessment was included in at least one of President Donald Trump's written daily intelligence briefings at the time, according to the officials.

Eight Republican lawmakers were briefed Monday on the explosive allegations against Russia, while eight Democrats will be briefed Tuesday morning.

Trump, in a Sunday morning tweet, said ``Nobody briefed or told me'' or Vice-President Mike Pence or chief of staff Mark Meadows about ``the so-called attacks on our troops in Afghanistan by Russians.''

Trump over the weekend had raised the prospect of expanding the G7 to once again include Russia.

Robert O’Brien’s comments come after conflicting accounts emerged from a recent closed-door briefing by intelligence officials, who spoke to lawmakers about Russian interference in the 2020 campaign.

The findings undercut U.S. President Donald Trump’s claim that he was the target of a “witch hunt.”

The poisoning ignited a diplomatic confrontation in which hundreds of envoys were expelled by both Russia and Western nations.

Carter made the comments during a discussion on human rights at a resort in Leesburg, Virginia, without offering any evidence for his statements.