Bryan Bedder/Getty Images for AmericaresWhen news of Matt Lauer’s firing emerged, President Donald Trump pounced to attack NBC’s “fake news” and ask when Joe Scarborough, former congressman turned MSNBC television host, would be fired for the “unsolved mystery” of an intern dying on his watch. Did Joe Scarborough murder someone? Is there a cover-up? Let’s take a closer look.
Joe Scarborough and Lori Klausutis
Joe Scarborough, 54, served as a congressman in Florida. In his final months as a congressman in 2001, intern Lori Klausutis, 28, was found dead behind a desk in his district office.
Trump’s tweet says the death is currently “unsolved” and suggests that Scarborough had something to do with it. But the fact of the matter is, Klausutis’ death has already been investigated.
So now that Matt Lauer is gone when will the Fake News practitioners at NBC be terminating the contract of Phil Griffin? And will they terminate low ratings Joe Scarborough based on the “unsolved mystery” that took place in Florida years ago? Investigate!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 29, 2017
It’s Not a Murder
The investigation into Lori Klausutis’ death points to a tragic accident as opposed to murder. According to an autopsy report, Klausutis suffered from heart issues and had been feeling unwell. It appears that Klausutis lost consciousness, cracking her head on the desk with enough force that she died as a result.
Conspiracy?
Conspiracy theorists who suspect something more sinister point to the fact that Joe Scarborough resigned from office two months after Lori Klausutis’ death. He had just begun his fourth term in office.
Both police and the medical examiner have stated that there were no signs of foul play. They determined that Klaustis’ death was an unfortunate result of an undiagnosed heart issue and a fatal fall.
As for Scarborough’s resignation, it did come shortly after the Klausutis’s death—she died in July 2001, he resigned in September. But according to Scarborough and his aides, he had already decided to step down in May 2001.
As for what Trump is talking about…maybe he just hasn’t read the facts and got duped by fake news.
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