Donald Trump, birthers suggest death of Hawaii health official is no accident

This week , Loretta Fuddy, the director of Hawaii’s Department of Health who was responsible for verifying President Barack Obama’s Hawaii birth certificate, died in a small commercial plane crash.

Her plane reportedly suffered catastrophic engine failure and the other eight passengers in the aircraft did survive.

It didn’t take long for the birther movement, and its champion Donald Trump, to seize upon the tragedy to further their conspiracy theories about the president’s place of birth.

According to Huffington Post, commenters claimed the Obama administration was “tying up loose ends,” while another claimed “that anyone with any connection to Obama or his background has a tendency to have a ‘shortened’ life span.”

Donald Trump, who was the subject of nationwide headlines after he made proving the president wasn’t American his personal cause, also implied foul play in Fuddy’s death:

How amazing, the State Health Director who verified copies of Obama’s “birth certificate” died in plane crash today. All others lived — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 12, 2013

Meanwhile, numerous good-taste tributes poured in on Fuddy’s behalf.

“Our hearts are broken,” Hawaii Gov. Neil Abercrombie said. “Loretta was deeply loved and respected. She was selfless, utterly dedicated, and committed to her colleagues in the Department of Health and to the people of Hawaii. Her knowledge was vast; her counsel and advice always given from her heart as much as from her storehouse of experience.”