The New Yorker: Why Wont Donald Trump Denounce Sandy Hook Deniers?
Why Wont Donald Trump Denounce Sandy Hook Deniers?
The New Yorker, William Finnegan, 11/22/16
In a letter to Donald Trump last week, Erica Lafferty, whose mother was killed in the mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School, asked the President-elect to cut ties with the conspiracy theorist Alex Jones.
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How hard can it be for the incoming President of the United States to disavow this ugliness? Reince Priebus, who will soon be President Trumps chief of staff, told CNN last week, Its really important that all Americans understand that he is a President for everyone. Does Priebus understand where his new boss has positioned himself among the grieving, doubly victimized families of Newtown? Erica Lafferty has received no reply to her letter. (The Trump transition team did not return a request for comment.) The problem isand Priebus probably does understand thisthe outsized stature of Infowars and Jones in the bizarre information universe where Trump resides. Last December, as a guest on Joness radio show, Trump told his host, Your reputation is amazing. I will not let you down. Trump has tweeted links to Infowars to back up his own outlandish claims, including the one about thousands and thousands of Muslims in New Jersey publicly celebrating the 9/11 attacks. Only three days after the election, Jones announced that Trump had called him. I just talked to the kings and queens of the world, world leaders, you name it, Trump said, according to Jones. It doesnt matter. I wanted to talk to you to thank your audience. Jones also said that Trump had promised to appear on his radio show in the next few weeks. This call evidently took place before Trumps transition team got around to calling the State Department or the Pentagon.
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