MSNBC’s Lawrence O’Donnell retracted his explosive claim that Trump was indebted to Russian oligarchs

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MSNBC host Lawrence O’Donnell made a startling claim on Wednesday that he received word that President Donald Trump’s previous loans from Deutsche Bank were cosigned by Russian oligarchs.
After a torrent of criticism and legal threats from the White House, O’Donnell walked back his reporting and said it was "an error in judgment."
Here’s how the episode unfolded.
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MSNBC host Lawrence O’Donnell on Tuesday made a startling claim that he received word that President Donald Trump’s previous loans from Deutsche Bank were cosigned by Russian oligarchs.

O’Donnell cited a "single source close to Deutsche Bank" for his reporting, leaving many of his colleagues to wonder if it met the journalistic standards to make the bombshell suggestion.

Trump’s tenure in the White House has been marked with allegations of ties with Russian entities, making O’Donnell’s reporting a sensitive one with serious ramifications.

But O’Donnell later apologized, saying that his reporting was "an error in judgment."

Here’s how the controversy developed:

On Tuesday, MSNBC host Lawrence O’Donnell reported that "single source close to Deutsche Bank" said Trump’s loans from the bank were cosigned by Russian oligarchs "close to Vladimir Putin."

MSNBC

"A source close to Deutsche Bank says Trump’s tax returns show he pays very little income tax and, more importantly, that his loans have Russian co-signers," O’Donnell said in a tweet immediately before his broadcast.

"If true, that explains every kind word Trump has ever said about Russia and Putin," he added in the tweet.

MSNBC host Rachel Maddow appeared to be startled by O’Donnell’s revelation.

"What," Maddow said during her program’s handoff. "Really?"

The alleged ties to Russia is a sensitive topic for the Trump administration.

MIKHAIL KLIMENTYEV/AFP/Getty Images

As the cloud of the former special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation loomed over Trump’s presidency for nearly two years, his administration’s policies towards Russia has been heavily scrutinized by Democrats in Congress and the public.

The president has been accused of neglecting his allies, including Ukraine, and cozying up with Russia, leading some lawmakers to call for an inquiry into his business ties with the country.

Congressional Democrats subpoenaed Deutsche Bank, Trump’s longtime bank, as part of their investigation into his finances for potential conflicts of interests or financial wrongdoing.

Meanwhile, Republican lawmakers described the attempts as a partisan move and a means to "[weaponize] our nation’s tax code by targeting political foes."

O’Donnell’s media colleagues started asking questions about his scoop.

Associated Press

Although O’Donnell qualified his on-air claims by saying he did not know if they were true, it did little to abate the questions from his colleagues in the media.

"This is an explosive claim," BuzzFeed News bureau chief Jon Passantino tweeted. "Is NBC News backing up this reporting?"

"Hours after this report aired, MSNBC and NBC News still haven’t published a written story on Lawrence’s claim or posted video of this segment," Passantino added. "Seems a bit odd?"

NBC News later said it was not able to verify O’Donnell’s reporting and that it did not see the bank records.

"So the natural question is: Why did it run on MSNBC prime time," CNN senior media reporter Oliver Darcy tweeted in response to NBC’s findings.

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