US intel backpedals on Russian bounty story that Trump called a 'hoax'

U.S. intelligence backpedaled Thursday on reports of Russians placing bounties on the heads of U.S. soldiers. 

The revelation came just as President Biden declared the Russia threat a "national emergency" and slapped new sanctions on Russian officials. The sanctions had been a result of meddling in the 2020 election, Russia's alleged role in the SolarWinds hack and the poisoning of Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny.  "The United States intelligence community assesses with low to moderate confidence that Russian intelligence officers sought to encourage Taliban attacks against U.S. and coalition personnel in Afghanistan in 2019, and perhaps earlier, including through financial incentives and compensation," the official said.  "U.S. intelligence community agencies have low to moderate confidence in this judgment in part because it relies on detainee reporting, and due to the challenging operating environment in Afghanistan, our conclusion is based on information and evidence of connections between criminal agents in Afghanistan and elements of the Russian government," the official continued.