Fredreka Schouten

USA TODAY

WASHINGTON — As the White House faced a fresh onslaught of negative news stories on Tuesday about the FBI's Russia investigation, President Trump's campaign and the Republican National Committee apparently saw a money-making opportunity.

The Trump Make America Great Again Committee blasted out an email Tuesday evening to supporters with the subject line, "SABOTAGE."

"You already knew the media was out to get us," the email reads. "But sadly it’s not just the fake news… There are people within our own unelected bureaucracy that want to sabotage President Trump and our entire America First movement."

It goes on to ask for donations of as small as $1 to help Trump "drain the swamp" in Washington.

The fundraising pitch came less than an hour after The New York Times published a report, saying that Trump urged now-ousted FBI Director James Comey to end the agency's inquiry into former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn's ties with Russia. White House officials denied the account.

The White House already was under fire for Trump's abrupt firing of Comey last week and reports that Trump revealed "highly classified information" to Russian officials during a recent Oval Office meeting.

Trump on Tuesday defended sharing "facts" with the Russians and railed against the failure of Comey and others in law enforcement to crack down on leaks from the intelligence community.

The Trump Make America Great Again Committee is a joint fundraising committee that collects money for Trump's re-election and the national party.

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