MSNBC host Lawrence O'Donnell declares Trump a 'Russian operative' with Putin as 'running mate'
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Russian President Vladimir Putin's greatest achievement was turning President Trump into a "Russian operative" decades after the fall of the Soviet Union, MSNBC host Lawrence O'Donnell argued on Thursday.
“The president is a Russian operative. That sounds like the description of a bad Hollywood screenplay, but it is real," he said on his show "The Last Word."
"It is Vladimir Putin’s greatest achievement. Decades after America’s victory in the Cold War and collapse of the Soviet Union, the president of the United States is now helping the president of Russia help the president of the United States to get re-elected."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}At one point, O'Donnell suggested that Trump's administration "might be better labeled the Trump-Putin regime."
The host's comments followed reports that intelligence officials believe Russia is seeking to help Trump in the 2020 election. According to O'Donnell, that would represent "a darkly momentous event in the history of this country and the history of this world."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"Vladimir Putin has become Donald Trump’s running mate once again," he declared.
Intelligence officials reportedly briefed House lawmakers last week the purported threat from Russia. Trump responded on Twitter Friday.
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"Another misinformation campaign is being launched by Democrats in Congress saying that Russia prefers me to any of the Do Nothing Democrat candidates who still have been unable to, after two weeks, count their votes in Iowa. Hoax number 7!" he tweeted.
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Trump's tweet came after years of fending off accusations that his campaign colluded with Russian officials during the 2016 election campaign. After two years of investigating the matter, former Special Counsel Robert Mueller concluded last year that there was no evidence the Trump campaign colluded with Moscow. Attorney General Bill Barr then concluded there was not enough evidence to accuse the administration of obstruction of justice.
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In August, months after Mueller released the results of his investigation, O'Donnell aired a report on Russian oligarchs co-signing loans for Trump. The White House vehemently condemned the report and Trump demanded an apology. O'Donnell later apologized and retracted the story.
The Associated Press and Fox News' Joseph A. Wulfsohn contributed to this report.