The Russians trolled Trump and released photos of him on the internet
With all the communication between Russian government officials and the presidential campaign of Donald Trump, you'd think someone at the White House would know that the Kremlin is home to professional trolls.
But they apparently didn't realize this until after a photo session at the White House on Wednesday went public.
Trump hosted Russia's U.S. ambassador Sergey Kislyak and Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov at the White House on Wednesday. Members of the U.S. press weren't allowed in, and photos from the official White House photographer didn't appear anywhere until the following day.
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But a photographer with Russian state-controlled media outlet TASS was allowed to both photograph the occasion and distribute the pictures online.
After pictures of a smiling Trump, Kislyak, and Lavrov hit the internet, a White House official said, "they tricked us."
The White House was evidently duped into believing that the Russian with the camera was the state photographer assigned to Lavrov, not also a member of TASS.
"That's the problem with the Russians," the official went on, according to CNN. "They lie."
It felt a bit like the Kremlin was winking at the citizens of the United States. Trump, after all, had fired FBI Director James Comey the day before, as the agency's investigation into Trump campaign ties with the Russian government was reportedly beginning to intensify. The meeting with Lavrov was on the schedule long before that, but many watching the events unfold got the sense that Russian officials were enjoying the obvious awkwardness.
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Seems like a moment Russian government officials savored, no?
Or maybe they were happy they planted some sort of surveillance device in the White House? Just add it to your list of things to think about.
Colin is Mashable's US & World Reporter. He previously interned at Foreign Policy magazine and The American Prospect. Colin is a graduate from Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism. When he's not at Mashable, you can most likely find him eating or playing some kind of sport.
