For several weeks, Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton and her allies in the mainstream media claimed that any concerns about her health were mere conspiracy theories.
Late-night host Jimmy Kimmel even mocked those concerns in late August by having the former Secretary of State open a pickle jar on his desk. She used that appearance to dismiss any health concerns as “part of the wacky strategy, just say all these crazy things and maybe you can get some people to believe you.”
Ari Rabin-Havt (who once falsely accused this author of being a Birther) mocked what he called “Hillary health trutherism,” likening it to the Birther conspiracy theories about Barack Obama. On Aug. 21, he wrote: “Like the birthers of the Obama era, Hillary health truthers base their accusations on a convoluted mix of conspiracy theories, exaggerations and outright lies that forces believers to willfully ignore any evidence to the contrary while twisting themselves into logical pretzels.”
Melissa Jeltsen, senior reporter for the Huffington Post, wrote on Aug. 26 that those raising questions about Hillary Clinton’s health were simply misogynists: “The subtext of the rumors spouted by Trump and his crew of armchair doctors is clear: Clinton is biologically unfit to lead. She’s a woman, after all … Let’s get real: The wild conspiracy theories around Clinton’s health are a convenient way to mask misogyny inside “legitimate” medical concerns … That’s sexism, plain and simple.”
Comedian Sarah Silverman was more direct, saying that those questioning Hillary Clinton’s health were “fucking assholes.”
Now that Clinton has been forced to take several days off the campaign trail after collapsing at the 9/11 Memorial on Sunday in New York, the truth is beginning to emerge: she has major health issues that even her supporters have long noticed.
Some in the media, like Vox, still cling to the hope that it is all a conspiracy theory.
But even Jimmy Kimmel had to admit Wednesday night: “You know, these conspiracy theories about Hillary Clinton’s health would be a lot harder to believe if they didn’t actually come true.”
Joel B. Pollak is Senior Editor-at-Large at Breitbart News. His new book, See No Evil: 19 Hard Truths the Left Can’t Handle, is available from Regnery through Amazon. Follow him on Twitter at @joelpollak.
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