Donald Trump Tweet Features Nod To Mail Bomb Conspiracy Theory

President Donald Trump on Friday downplayed a series of mail bombs sent to CNN and some of his high-profile critics.

The tweet came just hours after authorities recovered two more suspicious packages addressed to Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) and former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper. At least 12 potential bombs have been sent to prominent liberals, Democrats and others this week, including billionaire George Soros, Bill and Hillary Clinton and to the CNN headquarters.

While not an overt conspiracy theory, the president’s Friday claim bore similarity to statements made by several right-wing pundits, including Ann Coulter and Rush Limbaugh, who suggested Wednesday that the bomb scares were staged for political purposes.

“Republicans just don’t do this sort of thing,” Limbaugh said on his radio show, adding that the attacks “might serve a purpose” for Democrats.

Fox Business host Lou Dobbs, a longtime confidant of the president, on Thursday suggested in a since-deleted tweet that the intercepted packages were “fake.”

“Fake News―Fake Bombs,” Dobbs tweeted. “Who could possibly benefit by so much fakery?”

This is a developing story. Check back for updates.