TV veteran Larry King says Donald Trump Donald John TrumpBubba Wallace to be driver of Michael Jordan, Denny Hamlin NASCAR team Graham: GOP will confirm Trump's Supreme Court nominee before the election Southwest Airlines, unions call for six-month extension of government aid MORE “stretches it a little” with his explanation that he didn’t know their interview would be broadcast on Russian-owned television.

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Trump is drawing scrutiny after his Thursday interview with King was broadcast on Russia Today (RT), the same week the Republican presidential nominee was taking flack for his repeated praise of autocratic Russian leader Vladimir Putin.

Trump’s campaign said afterwards that he did the interview as a “favor” to King and had no idea it would wind up on RT.

"I don't know what Trump knew. He couldn't have known it was a podcast, because he just did my podcast," King told CNN's Erin Burnett Friday night.

Trump has divided Republicans with his complimentary views on Putin, but King said complaints about their interview are making “a mountain out of a molehill,” pointing out his program is often critical of the Kremlin.

"Russia is criticized. Putin is annihilated. And they have never edited it,” King said.