General Discussion
Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsSo is the Ricin story made up?
Seems like an early October surprise, and put in there to get sympathy for Trump.
soothsayer
(38,601 posts)You just cant tell whats true.
LuvNewcastle
(16,862 posts)My first reaction is to say it's a lie because Trump said it. Since everything he says is a lie, a partial truth, or an exaggeration, it's a pretty safe bet that it isn't true. I'm going to split the difference and say that the people who open his mail opened something that they thought could possibly be ricin, but wasn't.
Thekaspervote
(32,813 posts)ProfessorGAC
(65,318 posts)Unless one has access to very good crystalization hardware, & know-how, it's hard to get ricin with next to zero ricinoleic acids.
You & I could smell that artifact outside the envelope.
Dogs could be trained to ID it from 5 to 10 paces away.
That mail would never be cleared to the truck that goes to the WH.
And, if someone had the skills & equipment to weaponize ricin, they'd have the skills to make something much more deadly.
I don't believe their claim.
Your reliable sites are still just credible reporters of an administration we can't trust.
I don't believe ricin ever gets inside the building.
hedda_foil
(16,376 posts)The facility isn't in the WH. It was set up in 2001 for the anthrax scare and is still in effect. It was detected there and then double checked at a lab.
ProfessorGAC
(65,318 posts)Exactly as I said would occur, did.
So, they're exaggerating the threat.
Since postal workers don't open the packages, the risk of aerosolizing the agent was near zero.
Ricin requires a fairly high concentration to be deadly. A closed box of it poses very little risk.
The WH greatly overstated the threat here.
NCjack
(10,279 posts)JohnnyRingo
(18,672 posts)That's the catch phrase of the month and this conveniently dovetails.
If it's real, they'll probably come up with a suspect.
If it's fake, we won't hear again about it except at rallys.
DeminPennswoods
(15,292 posts)post office facility first. This was put into effect after 9/11 and the anthrax scares. This letter would never even have made it to the WH or anywhere near Trump.
2naSalit
(86,880 posts)I think it's another attempt to claim the news cycle from all the interest in the passing of RBG. He can't stand anyone else getting attention and leaving him out of it.
GoCubsGo
(32,099 posts)RBG's death took the spotlight away from him, and we can't have that now, can we? It's a twofer. This alleged "Ricin attack" not only gets him sympathy, it returns the attention back on him.
PoindexterOglethorpe
(25,920 posts)makes us no better than the Fox watching nonthinkers.
There really is no reason for the Secret Service to make up something like this.
Anyone mailing anything to the White House ought to be aware that stuff addressed to the President doesn't just show up in some little office mailbox for him to look at. Everything is going to be opened and looked at.
So stop with the stupid conspiracy nonsense on this story already.
Bev54
(10,085 posts)agencies and it was not just to the WH but to other federal agencies, primarily in Texas. We have to do better than this, it is ok to be skeptical until it is verified, but I would say it has been verified. So why is everyone so quick to think there are not people out there that would like to get at Trump?
Mr.Bill
(24,346 posts)Because the truth will be the exact opposite of whatever he says.