Long after it was proved to be false, Glenn Beck continued to endorse a conspiracy theory that claims the Obama administration is deporting a Saudi national who, according to Beck, was connected to the bombing in Boston.
The conspiracy theory first came into being when “terrorism expert” Steve Emerson went on Fox’s Hannity, claiming the Department of Homeland Security was preparing to deport a “person of interest” in the bombings who is a Saudi national. Glenn Beck’s The Blaze and other right wing sites such as Breitbart.com, World Net Daily, and Infowars quickly latched on to the story, saying that it shows the Obama Administration is trying to hide Saudi and Al Qaeda links to the bombings.
The Saudi person Beck is focusing on was hospitalized for injuries sustained in the bombing, and was questioned as a witness only, never as a suspect. The contention that he’s in the process of being deported is false.
The DHS discredited the story yesterday afternoon, but hours later and still undaunted, Beck continued to disseminate the conspiracy theory on his television program.
“We at the Blaze know that this Saudi national is a bad, bad, bad man […] This administration is playing an extraordinarily dangerous game,” Beck said. “They have very little regard for what it takes to be a citizen. Before the sequester cuts happened, they opened the prison and let illegals out. Who does that? Remember also, the Saudi national that was — is about to get on a plane — involved in blowing the legs off of American citizens, being held in protective custody or being protected, at least, by our administration. He will be put in protective custody and the plans are to deport him.”
This morning, a day after the outright debunking of Steve Emerson’s original claim on Hannity, Emerson was invited as a guest on Beck’s radio show where Beck doubled-down on the story — even referring to the Saudi national as “suspect number one.”
Listen to The Glenn Beck Program from Friday morning in the audio below.
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