Donald Trump Jr. revives conspiracy theory about Clintons amid Donna Brazile controversy

AP Photo/Richard Drew

Donald Trump Jr. on "Hannity."

• Donald Trump Jr. revived an unfounded conspiracy theory about the Clintons on Sunday.
• It came amid a controversy over former Democratic National Committee Chair Donna Brazile's new tell-all book.

Donald Trump Jr. on Sunday revived a long-debunked, far-right conspiracy theory involving the death of a former staffer to President Bill Clinton.

In a tweet on Sunday, right-wing pundit Dinesh D'Souza referenced former a claim from former interim Democratic National Committee Chair Donna Brazile in her forthcoming 2016 campaign tell-all book. Brazile said she feared for her life after the death of DNC staffer Seth Rich, who law enforcement has said was shot in a suspected botched robbery last year. Rich's killing remains unsolved and has spawned separate conspiracy theories on the far right.

"Donna Brazile feared for her life for crossing the Clintons you know you are dealing with an unscrupulous gang of thugs," D'Souza wrote.

President Donald Trump's son quickly chimed in, quoting D'Souza's tweet.

"I assume she was very fearful of involuntary suicide???" Trump wrote.

Trump's "involuntary suicide" remark almost certainly referred to Vincent Foster, who authorities said died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound back in 1993. A separate federal investigation vindicated that finding.

But conspiracy theories suggesting that the Clintons were somehow involved resurfaced during the 2016 election. Trump himself suggested that there was foul play in Foster's death, while media allies also echoed Trump's conspiracy.

As Brazile's book is set to be released, others on the right have also revived the theory that there was foul play in Rich's death last year, despite that fact that there has been no evidence suggesting any political motivation for the former DNC staffer's death. 

A Sunday headline in the Gateway Pundit - a site known for promoting numerous falsehoods and conspiracy theories - read, "Why Would Donna Brazile Be in Fear For Her Life if Seth Rich's Death Was Just a Random Late Night Mugging?"