Trump suggests what should happen to NY Times, WaPo over 'fake' collusion stories — then NYT hits back

President Donald Trump suggested Friday that the New York Times and Washington Post should have a joint Pulitzer Prize revoked after special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation concluded that Trump's campaign did not collude with Russia to undermine the 2016 presidential election.

What did Trump say?

Trump said the Pulitzer Committee should revoke a joint Pulitzer Prize from both newspapers "for their coverage (100% NEGATIVE and FAKE!) of Collusion with Russia."

Both newsrooms were awarded a joint Pulitzer Prize in national reporting last year "for deeply sourced, relentlessly reported coverage in the public interest that dramatically furthered the nation's understanding of Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election and its connections to the Trump campaign, the President-elect's transition team and his eventual administration."

However, Attorney General William Barr informed Congress last weekend that Mueller's investigation concluded that a connection between the Trump campaign and Russian interference in the 2016 election never existed.

"The investigation did not establish that members of the Trump Campaign conspired or coordinated with the Russian government in its election interference activities," Barr said.

How did the New York Times respond?

In response, the Times said every story included in its Pulitzer win "has proven accurate."

We're proud of our Pulitzer-prize winning reporting on Russian meddling in the 2016 U.S. election. Every @nytimes article cited has proven accurate. https://t.co/NvG27oeuNv
— NYTimes Communications (@NYTimesPR) March 30, 2019

Although the Washington Post did not respond to Trump directly, Josh Dawsey, a White House reporter for the Post, also defended both organizations.