Trump twice received forged nomination for Nobel Peace Prize, committee says

Authorities believe the same perpetrator fraudulently nominated Presient Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize twice. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

President Donald Trump's been nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize?

Not so fast.

Authorities in Norway are investigating what appears to be the second fraudulent nomination of Trump for the prize, The New York Times reported Wednesday, citing the Norwegian Nobel Institute.

Olav Njolstad, secretary for the five-member Nobel Institute, said the organization “has good reason to believe that a nomination we received concerning Trump has been falsified.”

He said this is the second time the organization has received a false nomination for the president. The institute received a false nomination for Trump last year but did not disclose that fact to the public, The Times reported.

Nominations for the peace prize are submitted by a select group of lawyers, heads of state, university professors, Nobel Institute committee members, and heads of organizations that have previously won the Nobel Prize. The nominating process is highly vetted and secretive.

"We verify all nominations, at least the ones with a shadow of doubt," Njolstad said.

Oslo police are investigating the fraudulent nomination and contacted the FBI, The Times reported, citing a police inspector. The inspector said the police believe that both forged nominations are by the same perpetrator.

The recipient of 2018 Nobel Prize will be announced in October.

Former President Barack Obama won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2009. The decision was highly controversial at the time, due to the United States engagement in Afghanistan and Iraq. He was the fourth president to receive the prize.