The CIA, abused dogs and 'Breathe Easy': Buttigieg draws his share of rumors, conspiracies

SOUTH BEND — Conspiracy theories and rumors have always surrounded presidential campaigns, so it shouldn't be a surprise that South Bend's former mayor has recently drawn his share.

For the past few days, The Tribune also has been drawn into the web of rumors surrounding the campaign of Pete Buttigieg. They involve abused dogs, an "I can't breathe" T-shirt and even the CIA.

They're also the latest proof of how information — more precisely, disinformation — spreads on social media these days and, by the time it gets shared and circulated and passed along, becomes accepted as true. The public then gets suspicious of attempts by media outlets to debunk the rumors.

Case in point: A Twitter user this past weekend made a fake image of a supposed Aug. 30, 1998 Tribune front page reporting that a teen Buttigieg was arrested for a shocking crime involving dogs. Everything about the image screamed bogus. It was generated through an online program that creates fake newspaper clippings.

But even though that Twitter user admitted Sunday night the whole thing was a joke, The Tribune was still receiving calls and messages Monday afternoon hoping to verify the story. Some thanked us for clarifying it; others angrily denounced us for "covering up for Pete."

So let's just make this perfectly clear: The Tribune did not publish the story making the rounds. The fake one gives several hints it isn't real.

• The masthead is a different font and style from what Tribune used in the 1990s.

• The Tribune would not have named anyone "arrested on suspicion" of the crimes in question before that person was charged. That's especially true of a 16-year-old, Buttigieg's age on that date.

• There's no age or hometown listed. There's also no byline or dateline.

• The headline goes over at least three columns of the fake page, which appears folded and shows only the left side. But the second column says the story continues on A10. (It does so in the wrong style, by the way.)

The phony Tribune front page is far from the only rumor or conspiracy theory circulating about Buttigieg.

The story of the Notre Dame women's basketball team wearing shirts with the message "I can't breathe," after the July 17, 2014 death of New York City resident Eric Garner after a police officer's chokehold, has resurfaced.

Recent accounts falsely report that a South Bend police officer created a shirt saying "Breathe Easy: Don't break the law" in response to the basketball team's protest. It was actually Mishawaka police officer Jason Barthel who created the shirts.

Some of the recent accounts also state Buttigieg supported the shirts. He actually tried to avoid taking sides.

Buttigieg's statement fearing citizens being asked to choose between supporting civil rights for minorities or supporting police was criticized by many, including South Bend Common Council members, at the time. But even that nuance is stripped from versions of the story now making the rounds.

“As residents exercise their free speech rights, it is important to be respectful of others’ concerns,” Buttigieg said in a statement at the time. “The sensitive issues now being discussed across America deserve to be taken seriously, and we as a community have a lot of work to do in addressing them here at home."

“We cannot rest until all residents and all public safety officers view each other in an authentic spirit of mutual trust and respect.”

On one social media post attacking Buttigieg over the issue, one commenter linked to a Tribune story from 2014 and corrected the assertion South Bend police were involved. The comment was deleted, and comments were turned off altogether.

"Pete is CIA" is another meme generating coverage and many calls and messages to The Tribune, with readers asking us to expose the truth. "Pete is a CIA agent" has also become a common comment on our social media posts.

The Daily Beast did an extensive exploration of this elaborate theory, debunking some aspects (such as a security firm working for the campaign with a name similar to another security firm reputedly tied to the CIA, or a claim that Buttigieg admitted he sought a post with the agency).

Then there are aspects to the theory that are impossible to debunk, such as the candidate's "mesmerizing, hypnotic blue eyes" giving away his secret agent status.