It's happening again. The left is out of arguments against President Trump so now it's recycling old ones.

In an anonymously sourced article, the New York Times reports that President Trump and his lieutenants knew all about a Russian bounty placed on the heads of American soldiers in Afghanistan. This, while Trump knew all about it and still was inviting Russia's President Vladimir Putin to a G-7 and otherwise making nice with him. The idea was to make Trump appear indifferent to American lives on the front lines in the name of cozying up to Putin.

WASHINGTON — American intelligence officials have concluded that a Russian military intelligence unit secretly offered bounties to Taliban-linked militants for killing coalition forces in Afghanistan — including targeting American troops — amid the peace talks to end the long-running war there, according to officials briefed on the matter.

Just one problem: It wasn't true. And former acting Director of National Intelligence, Richard Grenell, has come out swinging, taking on far-left Rep. Ted Lieu, who bought into it hook, line and sinker.

I never heard this. And it’s disgusting how you continue to politicize intelligence. You clearly don’t understand how raw intel gets verified. Leaks of partial information to reporters from anonymous sources is dangerous because people like you manipulate it for political gain. https://t.co/403X9AVGAC

— Richard Grenell (@RichardGrenell) June 27, 2020

Trump, too, had some takeout:

...Nobody’s been tougher on Russia than the Trump Administration. With Corrupt Joe Biden & Obama, Russia had a field day, taking over important parts of Ukraine - Where’s Hunter? Probably just another phony Times hit job, just like their failed Russia Hoax. Who is their “source”?

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 28, 2020

Grenell kept coming, taking on all attackers:

You are basing a whole bunch of assumptions on an anonymous source from the NYT. https://t.co/GZnUN6Sx00

— Richard Grenell (@RichardGrenell) June 27, 2020

Disgusting. No one would be fine with this if it were true. https://t.co/hGk3LN6hBM

— Richard Grenell (@RichardGrenell) June 28, 2020

Grenell, who's out of public office now but served as Trump's acting National Intelligence Director, would be in a position to know. His willingness to open the doors to transparency on the deep state's doings, enhances his credibility further. The fact that he was there, just there, when the Times' deep state throat  was speaking enhances further. And lastly, the fact that he owes Trump nothing and can do what he likes makes his smackdown most credible of all.

The Russkis, for what it's worth, have denied the bounty-hunting charge as well. While no one should put it past them, they more credibly say that the U.S. intelligence community (which hates Trump) is up to gamy doings. Maybe yes, maybe no, it certainly adds another dimension. In any cs, what they say is irrelevant because Grenell's argument is the strongest. The left is just trying to paint the Russia target on Trump again, given that it has nothing left to attack him with. Now they can't find a single official to go on the record to call the latest claim true. Not even John Bolton, and rest assured, they would have tried. Call it what it is: Pathetic.

Image credit: Twitter screen shot