Larry Sinclair says he's had sex with former president Barack Obama, a claim that fronts an especially unlikely conspiracy theory that the former president is a homosexual drug addict. Sinclair is a lifelong crook with convictions for fraud, larceny and forgery and looks at Tucker Carlson the way a conman looks at a mark he can't believe is this stupid. Carlson, however, looks back at him in a way that slackly answers the question.
Sinclair's stories began in 2008 when Obama was running for president. That year, Sinclair gave a speech at the National Press Club where he aired his claims about the Democrat, saying they had sex in a limo and in a hotel room. In response, Obama supporters tipped police off about his appearance and Sinclair was arrested on an open warrant from Delaware.
The assumption among many is that Carlson knows it's nonsense, he's just doing what it takes to get attention and stay in business. But this underestimates the Schrodinger-like uncertainty of his narcissism and insincerity. He knows it's funny to his audience. He knows he has to be careful. He knows he has the right to play.
