“The selective leaking of any classified information disrupts the vital interagency work to collect, assess and mitigate threats and places our forces at risk. It is also, simply put, a crime,” Director of National Intelligence (DNI) John Ratcliffe said in a statement on Monday.

While Ratcliffe did not directly refer to the story, originally run by the New York Times on Friday, which alleged that US intelligence had briefed President Donald Trump on reports that Moscow offered Islamist insurgents in Afghanistan money in exchange for the killing of US soldiers, he stated that the Directorate is “still investigating the alleged intelligence referenced in recent media reporting.”

Ratcliffe went on to note that once the investigation is complete, the agency would “brief the President and Congressional leaders at appropriate time.”

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