[ April 11, 2026 ]
Dmitri Mehlhorn, the top political adviser to Democrat megadonor and LinkedIn cofounder Reid Hoffman, reportedly pushed “sympathetic journalists” to consider that the shooting of former President Donald Trump might have been “staged.”
In an email sent to “sympathetic journalists,” including Semafor, Mehlhorn wrote:
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…one “possibility — which feels horrific and alien and absurd in America, but is quite common globally — is that this ‘shooting’ was encouraged and maybe even staged so Trump could get the photos and benefit from the backlash. This is a classic Russian tactic, such as when Putin killed 300 civilians in 1999 and blamed it on terrorists to ride the backlash to winning power. Others who have embraced this tactic of committing raw evil and then benefitting from the backlash include Hamas on October 7. If any Trump officials encouraged or knew of this attack, that is morally horrific, and Republicans of decency must demand that Trump step down as unfit.” [Emphasis added]
Mehlhorn suggested another possibility for Saturday’s shooting is that “some crazy anti-Trumper in this chaotic moment decided to assassinate the former President.”
Hoffman’s top political adviser, who created the “Investing in US” fund with the LinkedIn cofounder, suggested that his theory was more toward the false flag theory. A false flag is a “military action carried out with the intention of blaming an opponent for it,” according to BBC News, and experts have told USA Today that conspiracy theorists regularly misuse the term to claim major events were a hoax. (Breitbart)
The Democrats are behind it all. They are a terrorist organization that must be designated as such.
Wow. @reidhoffman’s Democrat strategist sent an email to reporters asking them to push the idea that the Trump shooting was staged.
Reid should be booted off the @Microsoft board over this and Democrats should return his $$$. If not, they approve of this: https://t.co/BQrfLQNIiU pic.twitter.com/CadJDNM2WH
— Robby Starbuck (@robbystarbuck) July 14, 2024
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Top Adviser to Democrat Megadonor Reid Hoffman Suggests Attempt on Trump’s Life May Have Been ‘Staged’ https://t.co/Dxi4O5breH
— Henry Hodge Jr (@henrydjr) July 15, 2024
Dem Powerbroker Who Suggested Trump Shooting ‘Staged’ Has Visited Biden White House at Least 10 Times
Dmitri Mehlhorn met frequently with chief of staff Jeff Zients and top adviser Anita Dunn
By: Chuck Ross, Washington Free Beacon, July 14, 2024
A Democratic powerbroker who pushed the conspiracy theory that the attempted assassination of former president Donald Trump was “staged” has visited the Biden White House at least 10 times, a Washington Free Beacon review of visitor logs found.
Dmitri Mehlhorn has met frequently with aides to White House chief of staff Jeff Zients and Anita Dunn, one of Biden’s closest advisers, according to the logs. Mehlhorn is best known as the political adviser to Democratic megadonor Reid Hoffman, a staunch Trump critic who serves on the Pentagon’s Defense Innovation Board. Hoffman has given $7 million to a Biden-aligned super PAC and $6 million to the anti-Trump Republican Accountability PAC so far this election cycle.
Hours after would-be assassin Thomas Crooks shot Trump in the ear, Mehlhorn sent a memo to journalists pressuring them to portray the shooting as a false flag operation.
He suggested “this ‘shooting’ was encouraged and maybe even staged so Trump could get the photos and benefit from the backlash,” according to Semafor. He also wrote that “if any Trump officials encouraged or knew of this attack, that is morally horrific, and Republicans of decency must demand that Trump step down as unfit.”
ADVERTISEMENTAuthorities have identified 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks as the shooter, but have not released a motive. Crooks, who was stationed on top of a building roughly 150 yards away from the rally venue, fired several rounds from a rifle. Trump was struck in the ear by a bullet. Fifty-year-old firefighter Corey Comperatore was killed while sitting in the bleachers behind Trump.
Mehlhorn’s conspiratorial comments could raise questions about his frequent access to the Biden White House, which has often accused Republicans of dabbling in conspiracy theories.
According to visitor logs, Mehlhorn and Hoffman met in September 2023 with Katharine Reilly, an aide in the White House chief of staff’s office. Mehlhorn has had three meetings with Jordan Finkelstein, a longtime aide to Dunn, the Biden communications guru. Dunn has faced scrutiny amid growing evidence of Biden’s cognitive and physical decline. She is part of a tight circle of Biden advisers who crafted a strategy to minimize his age-related struggles, according to the Wall Street Journal.
Mehlhorn has also met with two officials in the White House’s political office, Sabrina Bousbar and Jorge Santiago-Moreno, the records show. It is unclear what Mehlhorn discussed during those visits. The White House did not respond to a request for comment.
While Biden criticized the assassination attempt, some of his advisers are reportedly hoping to take advantage of the crisis for political gain. Biden advisers say the shooting provides Biden an opportunity to appear presidential and call for unity in the country, according to Axios.
Mehlhorn apologized for his comments after they came to light. He told Semafor his email was “drafted without consultation
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