On Tuesday, the Pentagon blasted allegations that Russia had offered bounties to extremist groups such as the Taliban in exchange for U.S. troops that are stationed in Afghanistan.

In a statement, Chief Pentagon Spokesman Jonathan Hoffman said, “The Department of Defense continues to evaluate intelligence that Russian GRU operatives were engaged in malign activity against the United States and coalition forces in Afghanistan.” He also denied the allegations, stating that there is “no corroborating evidence” which would validate such claims. Moreover, Hoffman assured that the administration prioritizes the “safety and security” of American troops and has continued to adopt measures to protect U.S. soldiers from “potential threats.”

The allegations came after an explosive New York Times article which claimed that a Russian military intelligence unit was secretly offering cash to extremist groups to kill U.S. soldiers in Afghanistan. The NYT also failed to cite the source, saying that the official was “briefed on the matter.” It also claimed that U.S. President Donald Trump already knew about the Russian unit and that he was already briefed that Islamic militants are collecting money from successful attacks against the U.S. troops.

They also believed that the Trump administration had downplayed the incident. In fact, the NYT article suggested that the National Security Council held an interagency briefing late in March to discuss potential options.

However, the administration also pushed back against the left-wing media’s malicious report. White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany refuted the claims saying that both Trump and Vice President Mike Pence were never briefed about such allegations, and neither was there any consensus among members of the intelligence community. McEnancy said that the U.S. receives countless intelligence reports every day, and each one is subjected to “strict scrutiny.”

She continued that while the administration does not usually comment on national security issues, the CIA Director, [the] National Security Advisor, and the Chief of Staff can all testify that Trump was not briefed by such allegations.

“Make no mistake. This president will always protect American troops,” she said. McEnany noted that “there are dissenting opinions from some in the intelligence community with regards to the veracity of what’s being reported. And the veracity of the underlying allegations continues to be evaluated.”

Other members of the Republican party dismissed the issue. In a twitter post, Navy Veteran, Rep. Jim Banks, who also had a military background in Afghanistan, questioned NYT’s “unconfirmed intel.” Banks believed that the “real scandal” lies with the fact that NYT used unconfirmed sources in an “ongoing investigation” and compromised national security as a way to destroy the Trump administration.

The president also dismissed such grievous allegations. In a social media post, Trump labeled the Russian bounty issues as “Fake News,” and that it was all clearly made up to damage the administration, and the GOP. “Do people still not understand that this is all a made-up Fake News Media Hoax started to slander me & the Republican Party,” the president wrote.