Fact Check: Do European leaders have intelligence that Putin is blackmailing Trump ahead of G20?
WASHINGTON, DC: Amid controversy surrounding Russian President Vladimir Putin being invited to the upcoming G20 Summit in Miami, a rumor began circulating online claiming that European leaders had intelligence that President Donald Trump is being blackmailed by Putin.
The claim sparked speculation online, with some social media users expressing concern over the alleged intelligence while others dismissed the claim and called for verification.
Claim: Vladimir Putin is blackmailing Donald Trump
The viral claim appeared as a post on X, which stated, “European leaders are reportedly pissed that Donald Trump is hosting the next G20 meeting at his own property so their countries have to pay him personally, and more pissed that he invited Putin because they all have intelligence proof he’s being blackmailed by Putin.”
The claim was shared by multiple social media accounts, with many expressing concerns over the alleged intelligence and indicating that they believed the claim to be true.
Meanwhile, a few others dismissed the claim and called for verification of the rumor.
Fact Check: The claim originated as satire
Although there was controversy over Trump inviting Putin to the upcoming G20 Summit, there was no evidence that European leaders had an intelligence report that Trump was being blackmailed by Putin.
There were no official statements, announcements, or social media posts from the organization or any of its leaders about an intelligence report involving the two leaders.
If the claim were true, prominent news media outlets would have widely covered it, making headlines. But a search for the claim on Google and other search engines, such as Bing, returned no credible news reports.
Additionally, the claim was posted by a parody account on X called ‘The Halfway Post,’ which described itself in its bio as ‘satire.’
Lawmakers urged Trump not to invite Vladimir Putin
The claim surfaced after Republican and Democrat lawmakers sent a letter to Trump urging him not to invite Putin to the upcoming G20 Summit in Miami. The lawmakers warned that allowing Putin to attend would legitimize Moscow while its war in Ukraine continued.
The effort was spearheaded by Senators Roger Wicker, who chairs the Senate Armed Services Committee, and Jeanne Shaheen, the leading Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
Republicans including Mitch McConnell, John Cornyn, Jerry Moran, Alan Armstrong, Thom Tillis, and John Curtis joined them.
“President Putin bears sole responsibility for launching Russia’s full-scale war of aggression against Ukraine,” the lawmakers wrote to Trump.
“Allowing him to participate in a G20 Summit in the United States raises serious concerns about legitimizing and normalizing a government that continues to attack Ukrainian civilian targets every day.”
