by IAN TUTTLE
\nNational Review<\/p>\n
It was only a matter of time. Donald Trump joined Michael Savage\u2019s Tuesday radio show to talk about Antonin Scalia, and the result was . . . exactly what you\u2019d expect:<\/p>\n
SAVAGE: Donald, I need to come back to the topic we\u2019ve all been screaming about here, which is Scalia, was he murdered. I know it\u2019s pretty brutal to say that, and I\u2019m not wanting to drag you into this, but this is going to be bigger and bigger and bigger. I went on the air and said we need the equivalent of a Warren Commission, we need an immediate autopsy before the body is disposed of. What do you think of that?<\/p>\n
TRUMP: Well, I just heard today. . . . You know, I just landed and I\u2019m hearing it\u2019s a big topic, the question, and it\u2019s a horrible topic. But they say they found a pillow on his face, which is a pretty unusual place to find a pillow. I can\u2019t tell you \u2014 I can\u2019t give you an answer.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
Here\u2019s the audio:<\/p>\n
http:\/\/soundcloud.com\/rightwingwatch\/trump-raises-suspicions-about-scalias-death<\/a><\/p>\n
As John Kasich would say, geez-oh-man. I wrote yesterday about Trump\u2019s conspiracy-mongering<\/a> at Saturday\u2019s debate, which at least had the virtue of being a conspiracy about large-scale government deception. This, by contrast, is just Dodi Fayed, second-shooter, Paul McCartney-died-in-1967 lunacy. Soon some blog will report that Scalia thought he was being followed, and Infowars will be doing esoteric readings of Scalia dissents, like Beatles fans with album covers.<\/p>\n
How on earth is finding a pillow \u2014 wait for it \u2014 (1) in a bed (2) next to someone\u2019s face \u201cunusual\u201d? That\u2019d be a pretty unusual place to find a lawnmower or a raw turnip or a bald eagle. Not a crazy place to find a pillow. The owner of Cibolo Creek Ranch has even tried to clarify. According to Jake Tapper, the owner says Scalia\u2019s pillow was \u201c\u200bover his head, not over his face . . . against the headboard and over his head.\u201d Of course, it\u2019s not like that will dissuade the relevant audience.<\/p>\n
To be fair, I expect Trump doesn\u2019t actually buy into this (although, at this point, who knows?). But if he doesn\u2019t, Why did he go along with it? A: Because, as my colleague Charlie Cooke noted last fall, Donald Trump can\u2019t say No<\/a>. He doesn\u2019t want to be the party pooper (unless it\u2019s the Republican party), so he hedges: \u201cI can\u2019t say, but . . .\u201d He is completely unable to say, \u201cNo, that\u2019s bat-guano crazy!\u201d to even the most completely bonkers idea that\u2019s put in front of him. That sounds like a good quality in a president.<\/p>\n