Conspiracy theories about Charlie Kirk follow a first-century Christian heresy.
The assassination of Charlie Kirk became another battleground for conspiracy theories about Jewish influence and other nefarious forces. Within hours, and despite evidence of the alleged shooter’s identity and motive, online influencers began weaving elaborate tales. Ian Carroll declared within 24 hours that “the internet already figured out who the most likely culprit was,” spinning a story of financier Bill Ackman and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu pressuring Kirk behind closed doors. Candace Owens spent a week suggesting that Jews had been threatening Kirk because he was seeing the light about Israel’s influence.
When others debunked these fantasies, the conspiracy theorists didn’t retreat. They doubled down. The New York Post’s reporting didn’t count, Ms. Owens wrote, because it is an “outfit of the Mossad.” Anyone rebutting their claims was accused of participating in a coverup.
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Josh Appel is a policy analyst at the Manhattan Institute.
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