Russia offered bounties for US soldiers in Afghanistan, and Trump's known for months

[classicdrogn]

Any are depressingly plausible, but I tend to think incompetence or malice are less likely in positions that actually have procedures better than a nationwide popularity contest (which even then went to the loser by straight counting) to screen them out, so I'd lean more to C myself. IIRC, there have already been reported instances of the like happening with other segments of the antipresident's staff.