I mentioned earlier how fond Sen. Ron Wyden seems to be of President Ronald Reagan’s phrase “trust but verify”. Well, apparently, Reagan not only didn’t originate the phrase but like some other people he tended to use it a lot:
TIME magazine, 21 December 1987
This time the two men seemed to hit it off personally from the first handshake to the last. In some of their public appearances, they traded quips like a well-rehearsed vaudeville team. At the White House treaty-signing ceremony, for example, Reagan repeated the Russian phrase doveryai no proveryai (trust but verify), only to be interrupted by Gorbachev’s good-natured observation, “You repeat that at every meeting.” When the laughter of the 250 assembled guests died down, Reagan flashed his off-center grin, gave Gorbachev a little bow and replied, “I like it.” The audience exploded with laughter again. Said Gorbachev just before his final departure: “I think we trust each other more.”
Reagan at least gave credit where credit was due and cited the original source. If Wyden keeps using it, maybe he could just call it an “old Russian proverb” or something of the sort.