Conspiracy Theories Start To Swirl Around Scalia Death

Conspiracy theories are beginning to swirl in the aftermath of the sudden death of Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia, who was found dead at age 79 in his room on Saturday morning at the Cibolo Creek Ranch in Texas.

Guevara

It then took hours for authorities in remote West Texas to find a justice of the peace, officials said Sunday, according to The Washington Post.  When they did, she pronounced Scalia dead of natural causes without seeing the body and without ordering an autopsy. A second justice of the peace, who was called but couldn’t get to Scalia’s body in time, said she would have made a different decision.

Meanwhile, Presidio County Judge Cinderela Guevara acknowledged that she pronounced Scalia dead by phone, without seeing his body. Instead, she spoke to law enforcement officials at the scene — who assured her “there were no signs of foul play” — and Scalia’s physician in Washington, who said that the 79-year-old justice suffered from a host of chronic conditions.

“He was having health issues,’’ Guevara said, adding that she is awaiting a statement from Scalia’s doctor that will be added to his death certificate when it is issued later this week.

Poindexter (Austin American)

The Breitbart news website reports John Poindexter, the owner of the ranch, provided more bait for speculation with an awkward description of how Scalia was found: “We discovered the judge in bed, a pillow over his head. His bed clothes were unwrinkled.”

 As late as Sunday afternoon, for example, there were conflicting reports about whether an autopsy should have been performed. A manager at the El Paso funeral home where Scalia’s body was taken said his family made it clear that they did not want one.

In a statement Sunday, the U.S. Marshals Service, which provides security for Supreme Court justices, said Scalia had declined a security detail while at the ranch, so marshals were not present when he died. “Deputy U.S. Marshals from the Western District of Texas responded immediately upon notification of Justice Scalia’s passing,” the statement said.

Conspiracy sites and social media have lit up with suggestions that Scalia may have been eliminated to ensure a 5-4 liberal majority before President Barack Obama leaves office. Of course, those theories cannot explain why, if the president had wanted Scalia (or another conservative jurist) dead, he would have waited past so many big decisions.

Questions and conspiracies surrounding Scalia death will broil on Monday...

— MATT DRUDGE (@DRUDGE) February 15, 2016

Among the conpiracy theorists is talk host Alex Jones.  On Sunday Jones, went on Facebook to give an emergency transmission to his believers.

Shocking Developments in Scalia Death
Posted by Alex Jones on Sunday, February 14, 2016

More serious questions will focus on the medical care Scalia received last week. He apparently visited his doctor on Wednesday and Thursday, but chose to travel anyway over the weekend.