Trump surrogates seemed sure. Within minutes, two of them — Donald Trump Jr., and top social media aide Dan Scavino — passed along later-disproven claims that the GOP nominee had just survived an “assassination attempt.” And on stage at Trump's next rally in Denver, Father Andre Mahanna said Trump had survived "an attempt of murder."
Even as late as Sunday morning, Trump campaign manager Kellyanne Conway was playing up the idea that this was a "Democratic plant" trying to disrupt Trump's rally. And she excused Trump Jr.'s and Scavino's passing along of rumors.
Trump Jr. also passed along a claim that the person who caused the disturbance had a gun.
And he retweeted a suggestion, shortly after the incident, that Democrats were to blame for violence at Trump rallies
None of these things appear to be true, based upon the evidence at hand.
Someone on the scene had shouted that there was a gun. But there wasn’t, as the Secret Service soon confirmed.
In fact, it quickly began to seem there hadn't been any apparent threat to Trump at all.
After the rally, multiple reporters interviewed the man who had been led away, Austin Crytes. He was not a Democrat, but rather a Republican who opposed Trump
Saturday night wasn't the first time the Trump team quickly embraced a theory about a rally disruption that just as quickly fell apart. This spring, Trump claimed his staff had linked a man who tried to rush the stage at one of his events to the Islamic State: "They found his name, and it was probably ISIS or ISIS-related. Do you believe it?" he said at a later campaign event. He also made the claim on Twitter.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news...baseless-allegation-of-assassination-attempt/
Even as late as Sunday morning, Trump campaign manager Kellyanne Conway was playing up the idea that this was a "Democratic plant" trying to disrupt Trump's rally. And she excused Trump Jr.'s and Scavino's passing along of rumors.
Trump Jr. also passed along a claim that the person who caused the disturbance had a gun.
And he retweeted a suggestion, shortly after the incident, that Democrats were to blame for violence at Trump rallies
None of these things appear to be true, based upon the evidence at hand.
Someone on the scene had shouted that there was a gun. But there wasn’t, as the Secret Service soon confirmed.
In fact, it quickly began to seem there hadn't been any apparent threat to Trump at all.
After the rally, multiple reporters interviewed the man who had been led away, Austin Crytes. He was not a Democrat, but rather a Republican who opposed Trump
Saturday night wasn't the first time the Trump team quickly embraced a theory about a rally disruption that just as quickly fell apart. This spring, Trump claimed his staff had linked a man who tried to rush the stage at one of his events to the Islamic State: "They found his name, and it was probably ISIS or ISIS-related. Do you believe it?" he said at a later campaign event. He also made the claim on Twitter.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news...baseless-allegation-of-assassination-attempt/
