MSNBC host Rachel Maddow warned other media outlets on Thursday that she believes she was provided forged National Security Agency documents alleging collusion between a Trump campaign official and Russia's efforts to influence last year's presidential election.
“I feel like I need to send this up like a flare for other news organizations in particular,” Maddow said on her program Thursday night.
“Somebody, for some reason, appears to be shopping a fairly convincing fake NSA document that purports to directly implicate somebody from the Trump campaign in working with the Russians in their attack in the election,” she said.
“This is news, because: Why is someone shopping a forged document of this kind to news organizations covering the Trump-Russia affair?” Maddow asked.
Maddow explained that she and her producers compared the document they received with a leaked NSA document published last month by The Intercept. That document quickly resulted in the arrest of a 26-year-old federal contractor, Reality Winner.
Maddow said she thinks the document she received was created by copying elements of the document published by The Intercept.
The MSNBC host made a similar allegation back in March when she suggested Trump himself may have leaked his 2005 tax documents.
“He's the only person who could leak it without concern of being sued by Trump or anyone else,” she said at the time. “They're trying to threaten us for publishing them which is complete bull.”
David Cay Johnston, the reporter who obtained the tax documents, also said while discussing the documents on “The Rachel Maddow Show” Tuesday that Trump could have been behind the leak, as did MSNBC "Morning Joe" co-host Joe Scarborough.
