Republican Congressman Rebukes Trump Over Osama Bin Laden Conspiracy Theory

Republican Congressman Denver Riggleman of Virginia rebuked Donald Trump on Wednesday after the president promoted a conspiracy theory about Osama Bin Laden. Trump retweeted a post on Tuesday alleging that Bin Laden’s killing in 2011 by a team of Navy SEALs was staged.

“It’s a dangerous tweet, and it’s the kind of thing we cannot do,” Riggleman told CNN host Jake Tapper. The Republican noted a YouTube video in the article the president retweeted had called for President Barack Obama and Democratic nominee Joe Biden to be hanged.

“That is the language of radicalization,” Riggleman added. “Let’s be honest, let’s use the technical term for what’s going on here: It’s bats--- crazy.”

Rob O’Neill, a Navy SEAL involved in the raid leading to Bin Laden’s killing, has called out Trump over the conspiracy theory. "You are really trampling on the graves of some of the best heroes I have ever personally worked with,” O’Neill told CNN host Chris Cuomo, with the message pointed at Trump.

Trump has promoted numerous conspiracy theories before and during his presidency. He made headlines in the early 2010’s when he alleged that Obama was not an American citizen, with the theory becoming known as "birtherism."

Trump has railed against a “deep state” in the federal bureaucracy that seeks to undermine his presidency. He has claimed that Obama and Biden spied on his 2016 presidential campaign, and alleged that millions of illegal immigrants voted for Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton.

Perhaps the most pervasive conspiracy theory of the Trump presidency has been QAnon. The theory alleges that a shadow cabal of pedophiles and high-profile Democratic figures are plotting against the president.

Trump has refused to condemn QAnon, and frequently retweeted QAnon-related accounts. Twitter, Facebook and YouTube have all taken steps to crackdown on QAnon followers and groups.

Riggleman introduced a bipartisan resolution in September condemning QAnon. The congressman, a former National Security Agency contractor, lost the Republican primary in his district to far-right candidate Bob Good in June.