Michael Moore Blames Fox News and ‘Right-Wing Radio’ for Creating ‘Violent Conspiracy Theorists’

When photos of the van owned by Cesar Sayoc — the man suspected of mailing crudely constructed pipe bombs to various left-wing figures — were revealed last week, the vehicle was shown loaded with a wide array of stickers.

One of these stickers featured filmmaker Michael Moore’s face with a bullseye over it — and the controversial and fervently anti-Trump Moore wasn’t happy about this.

However, instead of condemning the individual who had a sticker implying he wanted to shoot Moore, the “Bowling for Columbine” creator decided to lash out at a different and far broader demographic.

Related: Old-Fashioned Law Enforcement Credited for Catching Bomb Suspect

“The threat of right-wing violence against figures on the American Left is not new. It is not an aberration. It is not a violation of norms. It IS the norm,” Moore wrote in a statement to The Hollywood Reporter over the weekend.

“Rupert Murdoch’s Fox News Channel and right-wing radio have preyed upon those who’ve seen their American dream go up in smoke, and they have helped to create a generation of angry and violent conspiracy theorists who will believe any lie that is perpetrated on those airwaves.”

“These angry right-wing men have been openly encouraged to act on those lies, even as late as this very morning, when Trump was tweeting his doubts that the bombs were real,” he added.

So in his thinking, because people watch a news outlet that leans to the Right and Moore is on the Left — well, that makes people “violent conspiracy theorists.”

Moore did not provide any evidence as to how Fox News supposedly does such a thing.

He also ignored the fact that the overwhelming majority of Americans abhor political violence and that the suspected pipe bomber had a long criminal history prior to this incident.

Moore also said that a “new and dangerous dynamic of political violence” is “now promoted and encouraged” by President Donald Trump. That pointedly ignores, of course, the president’s condemnation of political violence just a few days ago.

If Moore wants to condemn “angry and violent conspiracy theorists,” perhaps he could start by looking at some of his own past rhetoric and behavior.

For Moore, such politically contentious statements are nothing out of the ordinary. Earlier this month, he himself spread a conspiracy theory that president Trump spells “the end of democracy.”

Over the summer, Moore also declared, “We have to put our bodies on the line” to stop Trump — implying violent action may be necessary.

If Moore wants to condemn “angry and violent conspiracy theorists,” perhaps he could start by looking at some of his own past rhetoric and behavior.

Perhaps then he would try to not contribute to the political divide in the country.

And check out this video:

Tom Joyce is a freelance writer from the South Shore of Massachusetts. He covers sports, pop culture, and politics and has contributed to The Federalist, Newsday, and other outlets.