Donald Trump stokes rumor that Justice Antonin Scalia was murdered
The conspiracy theory mill has been turning ever since Justice Antonin Scalia was found dead on Saturday at the age of 79. "We discovered the judge in bed, a pillow over his head. His bed clothes were unwrinkled," Cibolo Creek Ranch owner John Poindexter told the San Antionio Express-News after discovering the body.
Never mind that officials said Scalia "suffered from a host of chronic conditions" and that his death appeared "entirely natural and normal" — fingers have been pointing instead at everyone from the CIA to Dick Cheney. One theorist, Alex Jones, said in an "emergency broadcast" that his "gut" told him Obama was behind Scalia's death and that the president was seeking to obtain "unprecedented power... during his last year in office."
Now even Donald Trump has thrown his weight behind the rumors, wondering aloud about the exact circumstances of Scalia's death. No stranger to conspiracy theories, Trump spoke Tuesday with talk show host Michael Savage about the possibility of foul play.
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"I just landed, and I'm hearing it's a big topic — that's the question," Trump told Savage, adding, "And it's a horrible topic, but they say they found a pillow on his face, which is a pretty unusual place to find a pillow." Listen below. Jeva Lange
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Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.
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