Alex Jones, conspiracy theorist extraordinaire, has been banned by nearly all social media outlets, and for good reason. He's a serial liar and a destructive force against truth, justice, and the American way. Not so long ago, he was dismissed as a kook, a loon, a crazy man who would do insane things like shout at a pile of horse poop on video or talk about the sexual orientation of frogs. But while Jones may have been muted by Silicon Valley, he has nonetheless established an enduring legacy: the "just asking questions" conspiratorial pose that dates back to 9/11 and the "truthers."

Where conspiracy theories used to be disqualifying for semi-serious people, Jones' act more or less mainstreamed them: He wasn't the first Truther, but he is probably the best known. And following the news that a number of liberal former government officials and critics of Donald Trump were mailed what appear to be pipe bombs (though law enforcement is, per the NYT, "trying to determine whether the devices were indeed capable of detonating"), a number of Jones's progeny couldn't resist theorizing, with absolutely no facts, under the guise of—you guessed it—"just asking questions." Questions, that by total coincidence, suggest a conspiracy on the part of their political enemies.

Ann Coulter:


Rush Limbaugh:

Said on his show that "It’s happening in October... There’s a reason for this.”

Michael Savage:

Claimed a "high probability that the whole thing had been set up as a false flag to gain sympathy for the Democrats No.1, and No. 2, to get our minds off the hordes of illegal aliens approaching our southern border,"

James Woods:

"Obvious political stunt."

Michael Flynn, Jr.:


Buck Sexton:


Frank Gaffney:


Jacob Wohl:


Candace Owens:

I’m going to go ahead and state that there is a 0% chance that these ‘suspicious packages’ were sent out by conservatives. The only thing ‘suspicious’ about these packages, is their timing. Caravans, fake bomb threats—these leftists are going ALL OUT for midterms.


(Tweet has since been deleted.)

Laura Loomer:


Dinesh D'Souza:


Chris Buskirk:


Lou Dobbs:


Remember, these folks are "just asking questions." It's not like they're staking their professional reputations on the line. Thanks, of course, to Alex Jones.