Trump claims NBC was caught ‘fudging’ ’17 interview with him
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump has accused NBC News and its top anchor, Lester Holt, of “fudging” elements of their interview last year in which Trump said he fired James Comey over his performance as FBI director, including his handling of an investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election.
Trump, who made the allegation Thursday on Twitter, didn’t specify what he believed was improperly altered in NBC’s broadcast of the interview. He also provided no evidence for his claim.
In his tweet, Trump suggested that NBC News Chairman Andrew Lack was “about to be fired(?) for incompetence, and much worse.”
He added, “When Lester Holt got caught fudging my tape on Russia, they were hurt badly!”
It was first time Trump has suggested any impropriety over his interview with Holt in the 15 months since it aired.
In the May 2017 interview, Trump characterized his firing of Comey this way: “In fact, when I decided to just do it, I said to myself, I said, ‘You know, this Russia thing with Trump and Russia is a made-up story. It’s an excuse by the Democrats for having lost an election that they should have won.’ ”
Trump’s comment has raised questions about whether he sought to undercut and obstruct the investigation into allegations that Trump’s campaign cooperated with Russian operatives to sway the election.
Trump’s defenders have argued recently that his comments to Holt last year are widely misunderstood and have been distorted in media accounts.