The Washington Post is out with a story Wednesday citing “officials familiar with the conversations” in claiming that President Trump threatened European nations with an automobile tariff, “a move one European official equated to ‘extortion.'”

Trump threatened auto tariffs if Europeans didn’t warn Iran on nuclear deal violations, officials say https://t.co/yTtZ6kYRk0 — The Washington Post (@washingtonpost) January 15, 2020

John Hudson reports:

A week before Germany, France and Britain formally accused Iran of breaching the 2015 nuclear deal, the Trump administration issued a private threat to the Europeans that shocked officials in all three countries. If they refused to call out Tehran and initiate an arcane dispute mechanism in the deal, the United States would impose a 25 percent tariff on European automobiles, the Trump officials warned, according to European officials familiar with the conversations. Within days, the three countries would formally accuse Iran of violating the deal, triggering a recourse provision that could reimpose United Nations sanctions on Iran and unravel the last remaining vestiges of the Obama-era agreement.

Ambassador Richard Grenell says he’s familiar with the conversations and says they didn’t happen.

Fake News. Who is @John_Hudson’s editor? How is he allowed to make up anonymous sources who never say who made the supposed threat?! https://t.co/01AbNKfwCr — Richard Grenell (@RichardGrenell) January 15, 2020

Why wouldn’t @John_Hudson call me or the Embassy?

(because he wanted to write the story regardless of the facts). https://t.co/GabgeJ8x2x — Richard Grenell (@RichardGrenell) January 15, 2020

I’ve been working on car tariffs issue for 18 months. I met with Daimler CEO again today in Stuttgart. The problem with fake news like this is that people believe it. And we now have to work to correct the fake news. https://t.co/iUYrVquSk0 — Richard Grenell (@RichardGrenell) January 15, 2020

I have spoken to a Washington Post Editor and I have asked for a retraction. I don’t believe this story. https://t.co/SrTXDIrYcM — Richard Grenell (@RichardGrenell) January 15, 2020

What’s an editor? — Sharyl Attkisson?️‍♂️ (@SharylAttkisson) January 15, 2020

Ambassador,

I'm not sure they care if you believe the story or if it is true. It was written for people who would believe it even if they knew it wasn't true!

That's their subscriber base. The @washingtonpost has no choice but giving them fake news, they won't read the truth. — DawsonSField (@DawsonSField) January 15, 2020

They're too busy being austere. — Joel Goldenberg (@JoelGoldenberg1) January 15, 2020

Doesn't even make sense. The vast majority of our auto imports have to be from Germany specifically. UK is leaving the EU so that eliminates Mini, Jaguar, Land Rover etc. — E (@StalledProdigy) January 15, 2020

That also doesn’t make sense. Many European auto makers have manufacturing plants in states Trump needs for re-election. The chances he did that are minimal, tha he would do it are zero. — BearFlagFan (@BearFlagFan) January 15, 2020

“Officials” ?‍♂️ — Baruch Sandhaus (@BaruchSandhaus) January 15, 2020

And quelle suprise! It's the top story on Fars News (IRGC mouthpiece). All other IR sites are enthusiastically running it too. pic.twitter.com/ssQ4HMnhMg — sara belgium (@sbelg) January 15, 2020

Just like Iran state media made a story out of Sen. Chris Murphy’s tweet calling Trump “an unstable President in way over his head, panicking.”

This type of thing is why my digital tape recorder is my constant companion when I do stories, on the phone or in person. — Joel Goldenberg (@JoelGoldenberg1) January 15, 2020

Journalism is dead. There is no integrity any more. Nothing but hired thugs to push a narrative. — Hobo Jesus (@DillonStDillon) January 15, 2020

Related: