In a marked escalation of an ongoing feud, President Donald Trump claimed MSNBC host Joe Scarborough “got away with murder” over the death of a staffer almost two decades ago, despite there being no evidence that she was killed.
In an interview with Fox News Radio host Brian Kilmeade, Trump was asked about his drawn-out spat with Scarborough and his repeated allegations that the ‘Morning Joe’ host was responsible for the death of the then-congressman’s staffer, Lori Klausutis, in 2001. She died after hitting her head on her desk when she collapsed due to a heart condition. The death was ruled an accident by the medical examiner and the inquiry closed.
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“A lot of people in Florida felt he got away with murder, I think.”
Trump has been alleging Scarborough’s involvement in the death for weeks, posting a number of tweets calling for a cold-case review to be opened on the matter, regardless of the lack of evidence to warrant the move. He recently posted, “Did he get away with murder? Some people think so.”
The president’s latest remarks on the issue quickly drew condemnation on social media, with several US reporters quick to point out the baselessness of the claims. One bluntly tweeted: “Scarborough was in DC at the time. The woman’s death was not ruled a homicide.” Another highlighted the fact that, despite Klausutis’s husband criticizing the president for his hurtful remarks about the death, Trump has continued to repeat the unfounded accusations.
Others on Twitter disapproved of the lack of questioning by Kilmeade during the interview, with one commenter remarking: “‘I always felt that he got away with murder, a very strong feeling – and I do feel it,’ Trump tells Brian Kilmeade. Kilmeade carries on.”
Some even suggested that Trump’s renewal of the claims are an attempt to obfuscate the ongoing protest movement and rioting across many US cities in the wake of George Floyd’s death.
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