Trump quotes Washington Post columnist accusing Clinton of ‘getting dirt’ on opponent

President Trump on Wednesday quoted a Washington Post columnist to attack his 2016 Democratic opponent, Hillary Clinton, accusing the former secretary of State of conspiring with Russia for compromising information to be used against his campaign.

The president quoted columnist Marc Thiessen, who told Fox News in an interview Wednesday that “we already have a smoking gun about a campaign getting dirt on their opponent, it was Hillary Clinton.”

{mosads}”How is it OK for Hillary Clinton to proactively seek dirt from the Russians but the Trump campaign met at the Russians request and that is bad?” Trump continued, quoting Thiessen.

“We already have a smoking gun about a campaign getting dirt on their opponent, it was Hillary Clinton. How is it OK for Hillary Clinton to proactively seek dirt from the Russians but the Trump campaign met at the Russians request and that is bad?” Marc Thiessen, Washington Post

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 1, 2018

An original misspelled tweet, since deleted and reposted, stated that a “smocking gun” had been found in the Russia investigation.

Trump’s “smocking gun” tweet has been deleted. But here it is, for posterity. pic.twitter.com/4WhMBAVQan

— Christina Wilkie (@christinawilkie) August 1, 2018

Trump and Thiessen’s accusation of Clinton’s collusion with Russia stems from reports that Christopher Steele, the former British intelligence agent who authored a dossier alleging ties between Trump and Russia, used Russian sources in his research.

The dossier, originally begun as an effort funded by the conservative publication Washington Free Beacon, eventually was funded by lawyers for the Democratic National Committee and the Clinton campaign.

A Washington Post fact checker has ranked the claim that Clinton sought compromising info from Russia false, as the campaign had no knowledge of Steele’s sources.

Thiessen responded to the president’s tweet on his own Twitter feed, remarking that Trump had “left out that I said it’s all bad.”

And he left out that I said it’s all bad. https://t.co/p0s0Wvfq5e

— Marc Thiessen (@marcthiessen) August 1, 2018

Trump has criticized Thiessen’s commentary in the past, as well as The Washington Post and its owner, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos.

In 2015, Trump ripped Thiessen directly in a tweet, calling the writer “a failed Bush speechwriter whose work was so bad that he has never been able to make a comeback,” as well as “a third rate talent!”

.@marcthiessen is a failed Bush speechwriter whose work was so bad that he has never been able to make a comeback. A third rate talent!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 16, 2015