Chris Ruddy, the CEO of conservative outlet Newsmax, pushed back Wednesday at criticism directed toward skeptics of former President Barack Obama’s status as a U.S. citizen.
Mr. Ruddy came to the defense of so-called “birthers” while speaking on CNN about Wayne Allyn Root, a Newsmax TV host who President Trump had quoted on Twitter hours earlier.
CNN host Chris Cuomo began the interview by referring to Mr. Root as a “far-right conspiracy theorist,” spurring a discussion that quickly turned to the subject of Mr. Obama’s birth certificate.
“Wayne Root, I’ve never heard him described as a conspiracy theorist,” said Mr. Ruddy, a longtime pal of the president’s who launched Newsmax in 1998. “He’s not a far-right — I wouldn’t say he’s a far-right conspiracy theorist.”
Mr. Cuomo interjecting by calling Mr. Root a “birther,” but Mr. Ruddy denied that would make him a conspiracy theorist.
“I don’t think that’s far-right conspiracy theory,” Mr. Ruddy said.
“What else is it?” Mr. Cuomo responded. “If you’re saying Obama wasn’t born in this country and it’s not a far-right conspiracy, what is it?”
“I don’t believe it’s a conspiracy theory,” Mr. Ruddy insisted. “It took Obama, what, five years to release his birth certificate? Had he released it like other presidential candidates, it wouldn’t have been an issue.”
Mr. Trump was among the most vocal proponents of the debunked “birther” theory before running for office, and Mr. Root applauded the future president at the time for challenging Mr. Obama’s legitimacy.
More recently, the president thanked Mr. Root on Twitter earlier Wednesday for recently referring to him as being akin to “the King of Israel” and “the second coming of God,” drawing attention to the Newsmax host’s past remarks.
Mr. Root has floated conspiracy theories about events including the deadly 2017 “Unite the Right” rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, and the mass shooting that claimed scores of lives several months later in Las Vegas. He previously blamed “paid actors & infiltrators” for the violence that culminated in the death of an anti-racist demonstrator protesting the Charlottesville rally, and he falsely insisted the Las Vegas shooting was tied to Islamic terrorism.
“You should know a little bit more about the guys who are under your banner,” Mr. Cuomo told Mr. Ruddy during the CNN interview.
Mr. Root has previously denied being a birther.
• Andrew Blake can be reached at ablake@washingtontimes.com.
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