Agencies like the FBI and the CIA have been effective in the Trump era in deflecting criticism by pumping cosmpolitan audiences full of conspiratorial bosh about things like Russian collusion. They’ve struggled with the Trump audience for obvious reasons, but I’m beginning to wonder if someone hasn’t realized one can paralyze skeptical audiences with ostentatious displays of incompetent or contradictory behavior. Last week’s string of bizarre official statements were like a container ship of conspiratorial catnip, which will leave millions asking questions like, “What do they know?” or “Why are they letting reporters into crime scenes?” or “Are we really supposed to believe they just found those notes?” perhaps instead of being angry about other issues or abuses.

I don’t know what officials are up to, when they leak like sieves about some issues (Russiagate, Luigi Mangione) and refuse to provide even basic answers about others (New Jersey drones, Thomas Crooks, Covid origins). All we know is there’s an elaborate media strategy at work, one that in the content moderation age extends to outright removal of certain materials, like Shamsud din Jabbar’s Facebook videos. Trying to unwind the logic of these decisions is tiring enough when it’s voluntary, but living in a country that won’t explain things flying over your house is absurd. I get that the president is a corpse, but can’t someone be found to give an old-fashioned Oval Office speech? Why leave us to chew over so much crazy?