Jake Tapper: Trump’s Cognitive Test, Confederate Statues, ‘Cancel Culture’ Overshadow Russian Bounty Scandal

CNN’s Jake Tapper criticized both the Trump administration and interviewers of the president for not adequately addressing reports about Russian bounties being given to Taliban-backed militants in exchange for the deaths of U.S. troops. Other minor issues, Tapper said, have instead taken over the spotlight lately.

“Nowhere in the president’s comments nor in the questions to him in these one-on-one interviews,” Tapper said on State of the Union, “was there any mention of three U.S. Marines who are worth discussion: Staff Sgt. Christopher Slutman, Cpl. Robert Hendricks, nor Sgt. Benjamin Hines.”

“Even in the wake of this news, interviewers posed questions about tweets, questions about whether the president is too mean to the interviewer,” Tapper continued. “Nothing about the Russia bounty story or those three Marines. Not one word.”

“The president and the White House express outrage about any number of matters ranging from children’s cartoons to female journalists of color asking tough questions to people who don’t like statues honoring dead, treasonous racists,” Tapper said. “Russia allegedly working to kill our troops in Afghanistan somehow does not rise to the level of comment.”

“The very least the president can do is to try to get to the bottom of what role Putin may have played in the deaths of Slutman, Hendricks, Hines,” Tapper concluded. “The very least interviewers can do is ask the president about those who serve and sacrifice for us.”

Watch the video above, via CNN.