More weak conspiracy theories – And this one is decades old, as I remember reading about it in the 1990s.
Perhaps with nothing else better to do, Donald Trump, on Saturday, promoted and amplified conspiracy theories suggesting that Bill and Hillary Clinton were involved in the deaths of various individuals, a narrative often referred to as the “Clinton Body Count” theory. He shared a conspiratorial video on his Truth Social account accusing the Clintons of being involved in the deaths of several people, including John F. Kennedy Jr., Vince Foster, Seth Rich, Mary Mahoney, and James McDougal. The video recycles long-debunked allegations, implying these deaths were orchestrated to protect the Clintons politically.
Yes, these claims have been widely discredited by law enforcement, fact-checkers, and independent investigations.
Question: If there’s an iota of evidence linking the Clintons to the murders, why haven’t they been interrogated? Trump is president, why isn’t any action being taken?
Answer: Because it’s a bunch of hullabaloo.
Overview of Trump’s Claims About the Clintons and Alleged Murders
.John F. Kennedy Jr.: The video falsely claims he was killed because he was a political threat to Hillary Clinton. In reality, Kennedy died in a 1999 plane crash and had already decided not to run for Senate.
Mary Mahoney: Was allegedly killed to prevent her from testifying about Bill Clinton’s scandals. The actual perpetrator confessed, and there is no evidence linking the Clintons to her death.
Vince Foster: Trump and others have long suggested Foster’s suicide was suspicious. Five separate investigations, including by independent counsel, found no evidence of foul play.
Seth Rich: Falsely claimed to be a source for WikiLeaks and was murdered as a result. Law enforcement and intelligence agencies attribute the relevant leaks to Russian operatives, not Rich.
James McDougal: Died of a heart attack after already testifying in the Whitewater investigation. No evidence connects the Clintons to his death.
The “Clinton Body Count” Conspiracy Theory
Multiple reputable sources, including the Congressional Record, major newspapers, and fact-checkers, have found no credible evidence supporting these claims. And many alleged victims had no meaningful connection to the Clintons, died of natural causes, or were misidentified.
To be more precise, law enforcement investigations have consistently found no foul play in these deaths.
Trump’s Promotion of the Theory
Trump has a history of promoting such conspiracy theories, both before and during his presidency. He has previously amplified claims that the Clintons were involved in the death of financier Jeffrey Epstein, despite his own Justice Department ruling Epstein’s death a suicide. Trump has also publicly questioned the circumstances of Vince Foster’s death, despite exhaustive investigations to the contrary.
It’s sad -and scary – that someone of Trump’s international prestige and relevance would promote such shameful nonsense, knowing many of his supporters hang on his every word. Trump could say eating potatoes would make us 8 feet tall, and quite a few of his followers would believe it. Perhaps that’s the most awful takeaway.