The moment news reports first surfaced on Wednesday of explosive devices sent to the Clintons, Obamas, and CNN, the counterintuitive, conspiracy-fueled takes started rolling in. It was inevitable.
The bombs were not meant to maim the people to whom they were addressed, the main theory went: They were planted by liberals hoping to scapegoat the right, distract from the migrant caravan in Mexico, or boost Democratic chances in the midterms.
These mad ravings weren’t only coming from the lunatic fringe, either. The theory was advanced by a slew of high profile conservative commentators, including:
John Cardillo, radio host
Liberals did it because … they’re losing.
“Investigators need to take a serious look at far left groups like #Antifa when investigating the bombs sent to Soros, Obama, and the Clintons,” he wrote in a now-deleted tweet. “These smell like the false flag tactics of unhinged leftists who know they’re losing.”
Ann Coulter
Liberals did it because … conservative terrorists don’t use bombs.
Mike Flynn Jr., son of former National Security Advisor Mike Flynn
Liberals did it because … they want people to vote for Democrats.
Frank Gaffney Jr., founder of an Islamophobic think tank
Liberals did it because … they’re trying to “deflect attention from the Left’s mobs.”
Rush Limbaugh
Liberals did it because … Republicans never would.
Bill Mitchell, radio host and the “Trump Train’s Nate Silver”
Liberals did it because … they want to smear Republicans.
Candace Owens, Turning Point USA activist
Liberals did it because … of the midterms.
Wayne Allyn Root, a “conservative warrior” with a crush on Trump
Liberals did it because … they want to make conservatives look bad.
Michael Savage, radio host
Liberals did it because … they’re trying to distract people from the migrant caravan.
Similarly, right-wing radio host Michael Savage outright declared that “it’s a high probability that the whole thing is set up as a false flag to gain sympathy for the Democrats … and to get our minds off the hordes of illegal aliens approaching our southern border.”
Kurt Schlichter, Townhall columnist
Liberals did it because … it’s “convenient” for them in some way he hasn’t made clear.
James Woods, actor and thin-skinned conservative
Liberals did it because … they’re trying to distract people from the migrant caravan.
By Wednesday evening, the broad strokes of the theory had taken hold and filtered down to the common folk. Here are two people who showed up at a Florida gubernatorial debate with a sign asserting that the bombs were fake.
