Trump touts New York Times story as proof of 'what is going on here'

President Trump
(Image credit: Mandel Ngan/Getty Images)

President Trump on Saturday promoted a Friday New York Times report as evidence of the Washington establishment's work to undermine his presidency:

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Trump's account was partly accurate. The story he referenced said "a shadowy Russian bilked American spies out of $100,000 last year, promising to deliver stolen National Security Agency cyberweapons." The money was the "first installment of a $1 million payout," and U.S. officials told the Times they were adamant they did not want the Trump-related materials, only the stolen security technology.

After the money was paid, however, the Russian only delivered "unverified and possibly fabricated information involving Mr. Trump and others, including bank records, emails, and purported Russian intelligence data." The American agents canceled the deal, concerned they were being used by Moscow to manipulate Washington.

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Bonnie Kristian

Bonnie Kristian was a deputy editor and acting editor-in-chief of TheWeek.com. She is a columnist at Christianity Today and author of Untrustworthy: The Knowledge Crisis Breaking Our Brains, Polluting Our Politics, and Corrupting Christian Community (forthcoming 2022) and A Flexible Faith: Rethinking What It Means to Follow Jesus Today (2018). Her writing has also appeared at Time Magazine, CNN, USA Today, Newsweek, the Los Angeles Times, and The American Conservative, among other outlets.