Widower of late Joe Scarborough staffer says Trump has 'perverted' her memory


President Trump continues to baselessly accuse MSNBC host Joe Scarborough of murdering a staffer — and the staffer's widower wants Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey to step in.
Trump has recently revived a conspiracy theory suggesting without evidence that Scarborough was involved in the 2001 death of Lori Klausutis, a 28-year-old staffer in his Florida congressional office, despite the fact that a medical examiner said she died from a heart condition, no foul play was suspected, and Scarborough wasn't in the same state at the time.
Klausutis' widower, Timothy Klausutis, has now written a letter to Dorsey published by The New York Times on Tuesday, in which he says he has "struggled to move forward with my life" because of the "barrage of falsehoods, half-truths, innuendo and conspiracy theories" about his late wife's death, and this "bile and misinformation" is now being spread on Twitter both by the president and by Donald Trump Jr.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
"My request is simple: Please delete these tweets," Klausutis writes to Dorsey. "...I'm asking you to intervene in this instance because the president of the United States has taken something that does not belong to him — the memory of my dead wife — and perverted it for perceived political gain."
Klausutis goes on to ask Dorsey to think about Lori's niece and nephews, as they "have never met their aunt and it pains me to think they would ever have to 'learn' about her this way." He concludes, "My wife deserves better."
The Times' Kara Swisher reports that Twitter executives have been "trying to figure out what to do" about Trump's tweets, and the idea of labeling them as false is being discussed. Swisher, however, argues removing them is the right move, as this would "send a strong message that this behavior is not tolerated." Read the full letter via The New York Times.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Brendan worked as a culture writer at The Week from 2018 to 2023, covering the entertainment industry, including film reviews, television recaps, awards season, the box office, major movie franchises and Hollywood gossip. He has written about film and television for outlets including Bloody Disgusting, Showbiz Cheat Sheet, Heavy and The Celebrity Cafe.
-
Critics' choice: 2025 James Beard Award winners
Feature Featuring a casually elegant restaurant, recipes nearly lost to war, and more
-
How will Trump's spending bill impact student loans?
the explainer Here's what the Republicans' domestic policy bill means for current and former students
-
Can the US economy survive Trump's copper tariffs?
Today's Big Question The price hike 'could upend' the costs of cars, houses and appliances
-
Judge nixes wiping medical debt from credit checks
Speed Read Medical debt can now be included in credit reports
-
Grijalva wins Democratic special primary for Arizona
Speed Read She will go up against Republican nominee Daniel Butierez to fill the US House seat her father held until his death earlier this year
-
US inflation jumps as Trump tariffs 'bite'
Speed Read Consumer prices are climbing and the inflation rate rose to its highest level in four months
-
SCOTUS greenlights mass DOE firings
Speed Read The Supreme Court will allow the Trump administration to further shrink the Education Department
-
Cuomo announces third-party run for NYC mayor
Speed Read He will go up against progressive Democratic powerhouse Zohran Mamdani and incumbent Mayor Eric Adams
-
Secret Service 'failures' on Trump shooting
Speed Read Two new reports detail security breakdowns that led to attempts on the president's life
-
Trump set to hit Canada with 35% tariffs
Speed Read The president accused Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney of failing to stop the cross-border flow of fentanyl
-
Mahmoud Khalil files $20M claim over ICE detention
Speed Read This is the 'first damages complaint' brought by an individual targeted by the Trump's administration's 'crackdown' on Gaza war protesters