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Lawrence O'Donnell speaks during Politicon 2018 at Los Angeles Convention Center on October 20, 2018.
- MSNBC host Lawrence O'Donnell made a startling claim on Wednesday that he received word that President Donald Trump's previous loans from Deutsche Bank were cosigned by Russian oligarchs.
- After a torrent of criticism and legal threats from the White House, O'Donnell walked back his reporting and said it was "an error in judgment."
- Here's how the episode unfolded.
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MSNBC host Lawrence O'Donnell on Tuesday made a startling claim that he received word that President Donald Trump's previous loans from Deutsche Bank were cosigned by Russian oligarchs.
O'Donnell cited a "single source close to Deutsche Bank" for his reporting, leaving many of his colleagues to wonder if it met the journalistic standards to make the bombshell suggestion.
Trump's tenure in the White House has been marked with allegations of ties with Russian entities, making O'Donnell's reporting a sensitive one with serious ramifications.
But O'Donnell later apologized, saying that his reporting was "an error in judgment."
Here's how the controversy developed: