Trump, Giuliani and conspiracy theories

The phrase “conspiracy theory” often evokes crazy stuff, like Alex Jones’ Sandy Hook denial shtick. This is a somewhat unfair association in that conspiracies do exist, in a routine sort of way, in human affairs.

People conspire to rig stock prices, throw surprise birthday parties, arrange wars ostracize classmates. Not all pieces of clandestine cooperation are conspiracies as a legal matter, but as a social reality, this behavior comes to us naturally. It’s something we’re good at.

So there is nothing intrinsically nutty about suspecting or suggesting the existence of a conspiracy. But if the theory you’re promoting is insane to begin with — say, that the Sandy Hook massacre never happened — well, that will have required a massive conspiracy, won’t it? So it’s a conspiracy theory. Which gives a bad name to all the perfectly plausible theories about conspiracies in the real world.

As Mueller-related indictments, trials and revelations continue, Trump’s spokesman, Rudy Giuliani, has taken to pointing out that collusion isn’t a crime. That is true in a semantic sense: When it’s a crime, it isn’t called collusion. It’s called conspiracy.

Giuliani makes this point as it becomes clearer and clearer that various Trumpers cooperated with various Putin people in 2016 and earlier. If and when any Trumpers are brought up on charges, some of those charges will be conspiracy. No doubt the Donald and his Rudy will then start mixing in some “conspiracy theory” with the “witch hunt” they normally use, hoping to make it all sound Alex Jones crazy.

In the courtroom, that’s going to be a tough sell. Our legal system has been around for a lot longer than Alex Jones, Donald Trump or Rudy Giuliani, and it takes conspiracy rather seriously.

Eric Kuhn, Middletown