Fox Business Host Lou Dobbs Claims Bombs Sent to CNN, Democrats Are Hoax

"Who could possibly benefit from so much fakery?" the Fox Business Network host asked on Twitter, peddling a conspiracy theory.

Fox Business Network host Lou Dobbs, no stranger to inflammatory language and unsubstantiated allegations, said on Thursday that explosive devices mailed to a number of top Democrats, one Hollywood actor and CNN are "fake" and "fake news."

Dobbs, a former CNN personality, made the declaration to his more than 1.8 million Twitter followers. After a short time, he deleted the tweet, but it was captured by other users.

It read: "Fake news — Fake bombs," he wrote. "Who could possibly benefit from so much fakery? #MAGA #AmericaFirst #Dobbs."

Dobbs was swiftly criticized for the tweet, some pointing to the fact that his sister network, Fox News, released a statement on Wednesday in support of CNN after a live bomb forced the mass excavation in New York.

In an attempt to clarify his earlier post, Dobbs later tweeted, "On Lou Dobbs Tonight I'll take up why FBI and ATF hasn't informed the public about contents of 'suspicious packages': whether hoax or bombs, they were clearly designed to influence election. Why? #Dobbs."

More bombs from the same sender were intercepted by authorities on Thursday morning. One was mailed to actor Robert De Niro — a sharp critic of President Trump — and two were mailed to former Vice President Joe Biden.

So far, none of the devices have harmed anyone. Neither the Clintons nor the Obamas received their packages because of screening procedures, the Secret Service said in a statement.

James P. O'Neill, Commissioner of the New York City Police Department, implored people to stop using violent rhetoric and degradation toward journalists.

"Don't encourage attacks on the media. … That is contributing to the choices people are making. There's no question about it," he said.

President Trump has made it clear the media — especially CNN — is his No. 1 enemy, taking shots at reporters at numerous outlets on a regular basis, calling them "the enemy of the people" on countless occasions.

In a statement Wednesday morning, the White House condemned the attempted attacks.

Trump personally addressed the situation, at first, by essentially saying "ditto" to a tweet posted by Vice President Mike Pence, which strongly condemned the attempted attacks. He later called for "unity" after the threats.

On Thursday, the White House quickly fired back at anyone who blamed Trump for the rash of deadly attempts, claiming there was no link between him and what had occurred.

Federal and state authorities continue to investigate.