MSNBC host Lawrence O'Donnell said a "source close to Deutsche Bank" told him that President Donald Trump's loans were underwritten by "Russian billionaires close to Vladimir Putin."
"If true, that would explain every kind word Donald Trump has ever said about Russia and Vladimir Putin," O'Donnell said.
There has yet to be any other reporting to substantiate this claim.
Earlier on Tuesday, Deutsche Bank confirmed that it held tax records to do with Trump, but no details have yet been made public.
Trump's ties to Deutsche Bank have long been the subject of rumor and speculation, and O'Donnell has a long record of controversial statements.
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MSNBC host Lawrence O'Donnell added to the swirl of rumor that surrounds President Donald Trump's relationship with Deutsche Bank, suggesting that his loans with the lender were underwritten by Russian billionaires.
O'Donnell, appearing on the network Tuesday night with host Rachel Maddow, said that a source "close to Deutsche Bank says that the co-signers of Donald Trump's Deutsche Bank loans are Russian billionaires close to Vladimir Putin.".
"If true, that would explain every kind word Donald Trump has ever said about Russia and Vladimir Putin," he said.
"If true, that would be a significant factor in Vladimir Putin's publicly stated preference for presidential candidate Donald Trump over presidential candidate Hillary Clinton."
BREAKING: MSNBC reports that Donald Trump obtained business loans by having Russian oligarchs as co-signers: "The source close to Deutsche Bank has told me that Donald Trump's loan documents ... show that he has co-signers ... and that they are Russian Oligarchs." pic.twitter.com/RdIC9bNIOP — Harry Cherry (@TheHarryCherry) August 28, 2019
O'Donnell, an outspoken critic of Trump, did not claim to have been able to corroborate the source's claim
MSNBC has also faced criticism for missteps in its coverage of Trump's Russia ties in the past.
But as the president continues to hold back his tax records and other financial records from public scrutiny, they remain the focus for rumour.
The spotlight had again again fallen on Trump's ties with Deutsche Bank earlier Tuesday, when in a court statement it confirmed that it holds tax returns associated with Trump, his family or businesses.
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.
If true, that explains every kind word Trump has ever said about Russia and Putin. @TheLastWord 10pm — Lawrence O'Donnell (@Lawrence) August 28, 2019
Democrats have long sought information on Trump's financial affairs from the bank.
The Trump administration, though, is battling to block a subpoena issued by House Democrats for the president's financial records with the bank.
Officials argue that the Democrats don't have good enough evidence to warrant exposing the president's private financial affairs.
Also adding to speculation is Deutsche Bank's longstanding entanglements with money from the ex-Soviet Union.
The bank faces legal action, and its executives could be prosecuted, over the laundering of $20 billion from Russian criminals linked to the Kremlin and state security services.
StabTheTank on August 28th, 2019 at 12:27 UTC »
Yeah, so this was reported about 10 hours ago, hoping some calls to sources are returned and some other media outlets chime in. So far, all they can report on is that O'Donnell reported this, and the wait is killing me.
mountainwocky on August 28th, 2019 at 12:24 UTC »
Fuck. When I had to go through the process of getting a government security clearance for my job, one of the things they checked for was debt. The idea being if I had a large amount of debt, I would be vulnerable to bribery by foreign agents.
So how the hell is Trump allowed to have debt secured by Russian billionaires close to Putin? Wouldn’t that be seen as a compromising position for a government worker, or let’s say a President, to be in?
swingadmin on August 28th, 2019 at 11:34 UTC »
A weak man was an easy target for Putin. I'm not disappointed in President can-i-haz bone spurs. I'm enraged at the feckless party that enabled, codified and now engages in a cover-up of this abhorrent behavior.