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Legal Commentary

: Althouse

I can't believe I have to pay attention to a falconer named Parrot.

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Life with Trump is getting a bit surreal...

The bizarre theory, which is outre even by the standards of the right?s usual Benghazi claims, also alleges that Osama Bin Laden?s body-double, rather than the terrorist mastermind himself, was killed in 2011. All those claims come from a falconer who says he uncovered secrets about Al-Qaeda, Iran, and U.S. intelligence in his work as a falconer for Middle Eastern power players. Alan Howell Parrot, the subject of a 2010 documentary about his falconry called Feathered Cocaine, has shot to new fame on the right after a video interview with him played over the weekend at the American Priority Conference, a pro-Trump event held at Trump?s Miami resort. In the video, Parrot, interviewed by conservative personality Nick Noe and the father of a former Navy SEAL who died in Benghazi, makes a series of bizarre claims alleging collusion between Iran, former Vice President Joe Biden, and Hillary Clinton ahead of the attack.

That's from "Trump Touts Falconer?s Benghazi Blood-Sacrifice Conspiracy Theory/Trump?s endorsement of the insane story shot it to national prominence, fueling the bizarre allegations about blood sacrifice and Bin Laden body doubles" at The Daily Beast which I'm reading because I had to go searching for the background to this question ? by Savannah Guthrie ? from last night's town hall with President Trump:

"Just this week, you retweeted to your 87 million followers, a conspiracy theory that Joe Biden orchestrated to have SEAL Team Six, the Navy SEAL Team Six, killed to cover up the fake death of Bin Laden. Now, why would you send a lie like that to your followers?"

Trump's answer, from the transcript, was: "That was a retweet." That's a retweet! What's the matter, don't you understand retweets?!!

Savannah splutters, and Trump is all: "I?ll put it out there. People can decide for themselves. I don?t take a position."

She gets out a line to remember: "I don?t get that, you?re the President. You?re not like, someone?s crazy uncle..."

And that's what mainstream media would like us to think of social media. Normally, I'd defend social media... but that retweet really was a "crazy uncle" kind of thing. Much worse really. This isn't just a rumor repeater having some fun and oh, isn't it weird? It's the President of the United States repeating an accusation that his opponent in the election arranged murder... 6 murders... of Navy SEALS! It's like Trump is laughing at his own supporters. You know the people he laughed at 4 years ago for loving him so much they'd stick with him if he shot a man on 5th Avenue.

Trump proceeds to attack mainstream media: "That was a retweet. And I do a lot of retweets. And frankly, because the media is so fake, and so corrupt, if I didn?t have social media... I wouldn?t be able to get the word out. And the word is...."

"The word is false" ? Savannah Guthrie aptly quips before Trump can pivot into listing his accomplishments. Look, if you want to brag about your accomplishments, don't junk up the tweetwaves with crap like that falconer named Parrot.

Full post as published by Althouse on October 16, 2020 (boomark / email).