Political commentator Keith Olbermann tried to revive an old conspiracy theory this week that tied Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) to the unknown individual accused of planting pipe bombs in Washington, D.C. the night before the Jan. 6 Capitol riot.
In response to a tweet in which Greene referred to Democrats as “the party of pedophiles,” Olbermann shared an old image suggesting that the politician’s shoes matched those of the pipe bomb suspect.
Greene is currently facing criticism following an interview with 60 Minutes in which she accused her rival political party of supporting the “grooming” and “sexualizing” of children. Opponents of Greene argued that 60 Minutes failed to push back on the representative’s statement, emboldening her.
The conspiracy theory outlined in Olbermann’s tweet claims that the masked individual who placed two pipe bombs outside of the headquarters for the Republican National Committee and the Democratic National Committee on Jan. 5, 2021, the day before the Capitol riot in 2021, was none other than Greene.
Countless conspiracy theorists online have pointed to alleged similarities in Greene’s and the suspect’s gait, arm movements, and footwear as proof of the Republican’s involvement.
It’s been a popular subject for YouTubers to speculate on, but no evidence whatsoever suggests that Greene was involved. Why a congressperson might attempt to put bombs in front of the buildings for both parties’ national committees has never been fully explained in any theory. The FBI has struggled to locate any suspects and has offered a $500,000 reward to anyone who can offer information about the pipe bomb suspect.
Responses to Olbermann’s tweet were mixed, with users both praising and condemning the commentator for highlighting the conspiracy theory.
“I’ve been posting about this for MONTHS,” one user responded. “Maybe someone will see it now and DO something…”
Others compared Olbermann to believers in the QAnon conspiracy theory, which Greene has previously counted herself among.
“C’mon. This kind of wild speculation makes you no better than QAnoners,” another said. “You’re a public figure, & you’d be better off to have a social media pro vet your posts before hit the ‘send tweet’ button.”
It’s been a rough week for Olbermann online.
The conspiratorial tweet from Olbermann comes shortly after the commentator received widespread condemnation for calling LSU women’s basketball star Angel Reese a “fucking idiot.” Olbermann, who used to be an anchor for ESPN, made the comments in response to taunts made by Reese towards Iowa’s Caitlin Clark during the NCAA women’s national championship game.
Olberman, who even received pushback from NBA legend Shaquille O’Neal for the remark, later issued an apology in which he referred to his comments as “uninformed.
