While many Americans are disturbed to hear a new report that Russia offered money to the Taliban as a reward for killing U.S. troops, for military families, it is deeply personal.
Patty Houpt's son, Billy, served for a year in Afghanistan in 2010.
"'A slap in the face' doesn't even come close to what this news is like," she said. "It's so appalling."
Billy was a captain in a bomb squad unit.
"It was a year I didn't sleep," Houpt said.
Houpt is especially incensed that U.S. intelligence has reportedly known about the Russian bounties for months and that President Donald Trump was briefed on the findings.
"And the fact that he potentially had knowledge of a bounty on the soldiers that he is in charge of, their destiny is in his hands, it makes me sick to my stomach," she said.
Politics
"The fact that the president did not react is a real problem for him," said Boston University Professor Joe Wippl.
Wippl, formerly with the CIA, says that if true, it is the type of news a president would typically immediately act on by calling Russian President Vladimir Putin and demanding it be stopped.
"The president seems to have some kind of warm feelings toward Putin, authoritarian leaders," said Wippl. "So I mean, a lot of this does not make sense."
Trump tweeted he was never briefed because intelligence officials did not find the information credible. But not everyone is accepting that response.
"He is sort of famous maybe for misspeaking about these things. So fundamentally, I don't believe it," Houpt said.
Both Democrats and Republicans in Congress are demanding the Trump administration release more information.
