Reprinted with permission from MediaMatters.
››› TIMOTHY JOHNSON & CRISTINA LóPEZ G.
Following reports that law enforcement intercepted explosive devices sent to the residences of the Obamas and the Clintons, far-right media immediately claimed the incidents were a left-wing hoax.
The situation is still unfolding. Law enforcement has linked the explosive devices sent to Clinton and Soros to a bomb discovered in financier and philanthropist George Soros’ mailbox earlier this week. A suspicious package was also sent to the New York City offices of CNN. There was also a report that a suspicious package had been sent to the White House, but Reuters and the Secret Service later said the initial report was incorrect. And there are additional reports of explosive devices being sent to politicians, though they have not all been corroborated. In light of this complicated set of circumstances, far-right media seem to agree on one thing: The explosive devices sent to Obama and Clinton are a hoax or false flag attack.
Conservative provocateur James Woods tweeted:
Far-right radio host Wayne Dupree tweeted:
Right-wing radio host John Cardillo wrote in a now-deleted tweet:
Townhall columnist Kurt Schlichter called the explosive threats a hoax:
Far-right radio host Michael Savage claimed the explosives were election stunts:
Similarly, far-right conspiracy theorist Laura Loomer tweeted that the timing was suspect:
Far-right pundit and Proud Boys member Chadwick Moore accused Democrats of “sending themselves bombs”:
Staffer for the anti-Muslim Act For America and pro-Trump activist Scott Presler called the suspicious packages “false flags”:
Fox News columnist and discredited pro-gun researcher John Lott suggested Democrats were behind the bombs:
Posters in the anonymous message board 4chan echoed right-wing media’s reactions
On the “/pol/” board of 4chan, reports of explosives were met with “false flag” reactions on several threads. A poster explained the false flag theory by claiming that “if it was a real radical right winger the bomb would have gone off”
Reacting to the suspicious package addressed to the CNN offices in New York City, a 4chan user recalled Infowars’ Alex Jones’ fondness for conspiracy theories by posting, “Alex Jones predicted this”
This post has been updated with additional examples.
