President Donald Trump on Friday downplayed a series of mail bombs sent to CNN and some of his high-profile critics.

Republicans are doing so well in early voting, and at the polls, and now this “Bomb” stuff happens and the momentum greatly slows - news not talking politics. Very unfortunate, what is going on. Republicans, go out and vote! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 26, 2018

The tweet came just hours after authorities recovered two more suspicious packages addressed to Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) and former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper. At least 12 potential bombs have been sent to prominent liberals, Democrats and others this week, including billionaire George Soros, Bill and Hillary Clinton and to the CNN headquarters.

While not an overt conspiracy theory, the president’s Friday claim bore similarity to statements made by several right-wing pundits, including Ann Coulter and Rush Limbaugh, who suggested Wednesday that the bomb scares were staged for political purposes.

“Republicans just don’t do this sort of thing,” Limbaugh said on his radio show, adding that the attacks “might serve a purpose” for Democrats.

Fox Business host Lou Dobbs, a longtime confidant of the president, on Thursday suggested in a since-deleted tweet that the intercepted packages were “fake.”

“Fake News―Fake Bombs,” Dobbs tweeted. “Who could possibly benefit by so much fakery?”

Fox Business host Lou Dobbs has deleted this tweet in which he asserted it is “fake news” that mail bombs were sent to high-profile Democrats and CNN's offices.



"Fake bombs," he called them, in his tweet. pic.twitter.com/TIavKPVysd — Oliver Darcy (@oliverdarcy) October 25, 2018

This is a developing story. Check back for updates.