Despite being shrouded in secrecy, a rare controversy surrounding the nominating process of the Nobel Peace Prize has made international headlines today.
Per The New York Times, while 329 candidates are currently being considered for this year’s prize out of Norway, the committee announced that a forged nomination had been received for Donald Trump. The matter was revealed as it was being relayed to Oslo police to investigate.
To make matters worse, this is not the first forgery in favor of Trump. Per Olav Njolstad, the secretary of the five-member committee, a forged nomination for Trump was also submitted last year. That forgery, too, was referred to police at the time, although it was not made public as is the case this year.
Head of the economic crimes section of the Oslo police, Inspector Rune Skjold, revealed a key piece of information: investigators have already been in touch with the FBI, which indicates that the forged nominated originated in the United States. He also believes that the same individual was behind both forgeries.
“We verify all nominations, at least the ones with a shadow of doubt,” said Mr. Njolstad.
The letters are currently undergoing a lengthy forensic examination in hopes of discovering a perpetrator.
While Njolstad would not divulge much information, he did suggest that the nominations were indeed invalid as received.
The last American President to be awarded the honor was Trump’s predecessor, Barack Obama, who received the honor in 2009. Jimmy Carter also recently received the award in 2002. It would be fitting for Trump’s name to have been submitted by forgery in the footsteps of a man who deservedly won the award upon taking office.
It’s a testament to Trump’s unpopularity – both at home and abroad – that the only way his name would end up in the same sentence as the Nobel Peace Prize is by way of a scandal– as if he needs any more of those.
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