Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump speaks during a rally May 5, in Charleston, West Virginia. | Getty Trump slams New York Times for 'pushing Dem narrative' on Putin

Donald Trump lashed out at the New York Times early Wednesday morning over the newspaper’s reporting appearing to show that the Russian government is trying to impact the presidential election in his favor.

“Funny how the failing @nytimes is pushing Dems narrative that Russia is working for me because Putin said ‘Trump is a genius. America 1st!” Trump wrote on Twitter Wednesday morning.


Like many other media outlets, the Times reported over the weekend on Democratic National Committee emails, believed to have been accessed by Russian hackers, that were released over the weekend. Those emails prompted the resignation of DNC chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz and threatened to derail the party’s convention in Philadelphia before it even began by sowing discord between supporters of Sen. Bernie Sanders and the Democratic establishment.

Wasserman Schultz’s resignation, along with multiple gestures of unity on the party of Sanders himself, seemed to tamp down concern that the convention might become messy. But some Democrats, among them members of Hillary Clinton’s campaign, have outright said that Russian hackers released the Democratic National Committee emails in an effort to hurt the former secretary of state’s candidacy and help that of Trump.

The Manhattan billionaire has repeatedly praised Putin throughout the campaign and seen that praise reciprocated by the Russian president. Of Putin, Trump said last December that “at least he’s a leader,” unlike President Barack Obama. Trump has also called Putin a “strong leader.” Putin, for his part, has embraced Trump just as warmly, calling the Manhattan billionaire “bright.”