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The Big Lies › 2019 › File PF-0072
Retracted

O'Donnell: Russian Oligarchs Co-Signed Trump's Loans

MSNBC host Lawrence O'Donnell said on air and on Twitter that a single source told him Trump's Deutsche Bank loan documents showed Russian oligarchs as co-signers.

First reported Aug 27, 2019 · MSNBC
Screenshot of the original report as published
Screenshot of the report as published: nbcnews.com. Tap to open the source.
Who it helped: Democrats

It suggested Trump was financially beholden to Russian oligarchs.

What was reported

MSNBC host Lawrence O'Donnell said on air and on Twitter that a single source told him Trump's Deutsche Bank loan documents showed Russian oligarchs as co-signers.

What actually happened

After Trump's lawyers demanded a retraction, O'Donnell retracted the next night, saying the claim had not gone through NBC's verification process, was not ready for reporting, and should not have aired. He said he could not say the information was false, only that it was unverified, and apologized. No evidence for the claim has surfaced since.

The proof

O'Donnell's on-air retraction and apology on Aug. 28, 2019.

The receipt. Copy this and paste it anywhere:

O'Donnell: Russian Oligarchs Co-Signed Trump's Loans — Retracted. O'Donnell's on-air retraction and apology on Aug. 28, 2019. Full file: https://www.thepropagandafiles.com/case/odonnell-deutsche-bank-russian-cosigners/

Original reporting

Corrections, findings & records

Archived copies

Stories get edited after publication. These open the Internet Archive's earliest saved copy of each original.

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