Donald Trump is threatening to sue the Pulitzer Prize board if it doesn't strip the New York Times and Washington Post of the 2018 National Reporting prize the news outlets jointly won for their investigation of Russia's influence on the 2016 election.
'It is hereby demanded that the Pulitzer Prize Board take immediate steps to strip the New York Times and The Washington Post of the 2018 Pulitzer Prize for National Reporting. Pulitzer Prize Board's failure to do so will result in prompt legal action being taken against it. Please be guided accordingly,' wrote Trump attorney Alina Habba in a letter to Bud Kliment, the interim administrator of the awards.
The former president, who has furiously denied he won in 2016 with any help from Moscow, cited a federal indictment that alleged that Russian-born analyst Igor Danchenko, a key source for infamous and unsubstantiated Christopher Steele dossier, fabricated conversations with one source and used a Democratic political operative as another.
Danchenko pleaded not guilty to five felony charges of lying to the FBI last week. His arrest came about from Special Counsel John Durham, who is investigating the origins of the FBI's Crossfire Hurricane probe into claims that Trump conspired with Russia during the 2016 election.
In the aftermath the Washington Post corrected two articles that contained references to the Steele Dossier - but neither of those articles were part of the citation that won the newspaper its Pulitzer.
Trump cited that correction in his complaint to the Pulitzer Board.
'Even one of the recipients of the award, The Washington Post, has acknowledged the unsubstantiated nature of its reporting as it relates to these events. Specifically, on November 12, 2021, The Post retracted statements from several articles relating to the Steele Dossier and the alleged Russia-Trump connection and its executive editor proclaimed that 'The Post could no longer stand by the accuracy of those elements of the story,'' his attorney's letter to noted.
Trump lawyer complained the articles 'were based on incontrovertibly false information provided by dubious sources who were maliciously attempting to mislead the public and tarnish our client's reputation.'
In 2018, ten reporters from the New York Times and the Washington Post jointly won the Pulitzer for National Reporting for their 'deeply sourced, relentlessly reported coverage in the public interest that dramatically furthered the nation's understanding of Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election and its connections to the Trump campaign, the President-elect's transition team and his eventual administration,' according to the committee.
But in the list of articles the Pultizer committee cites as the reason for the prize, there is little on the Steele dossier. The prize-winning articles included stories on the actions of former Trump campaign aide George Papadopoulos, Donald Trump Jr.'s meeting with Russian officials, Russia's actions on social media, and Michael Flynn's communications with the Russian ambassador to the United States.
One New York Times story on Papadopoulos mentions the dossier but doesn't detail its allegations. And a Washington Post article examined how the FBI paid Christopher Steele to continue his investigation into Russian actions.
Donald Trump is threatening to sue the Pulitzer Prize board if it doesn't strip the New York Times and Washington Post of the 2018 National Reporting prize the news outlets jointly won for their investigation of Russia's influence on the 2016 election
In 2018, ten reporters from the New York Times and the Washington Post jointly won the Pulitzer for National Reporting for their 'deeply sourced, relentlessly reported coverage' on Russia's influence in 2016 - the reporters are seen above
Christopher Steele's controversial dossier was filled with unproven allegations, including a claim that the Russians had blackmail material on Trump, which Trump denied; above Steele and his lawyer arrive at a London courthouse in July 2020
The Steele dossier played a central role in the FBI obtaining FISA warrants on then Trump campaign aide Carter Page, who was the center of an investigation into whether Trump's campaign worked with the Russians. The dossier was read by many news outlets and was the foundation for several Trump conspiracy theories.
Trump had called for the Pulitzers to be rescinded before, including last month.
Enteries for a Pultizer prize are judged by 77 editors, publishers, writers, and educators, according to the board. Members of
