Trump's latest conspiracy mashup: China hacked Hillary's emails

Donald Trump accused Beijing of hacking Hillary Clinton’s email server Wednesday — offering zero evidence for the remarkable claim.

After making the accusation on Twitter — posted amid a burgeoning trade dispute with China — Trump appeared to call on the FBI and the Justice Department to investigate the “hack,” warning that “their credibility will be forever gone” should they not.

The post followed an earlier Tuesday tweet on a similar theme.

“Report just out: “China hacked Hillary Clinton’s private Email Server.” Are they sure it wasn’t Russia (just kidding!)? What are the odds that the FBI and DOJ are right on top of this? Actually, a very big story. Much classified information!” Trump wrote.

The president appeared to be responding to a segment on Laura Ingraham’s show Tuesday on Fox News, which reported on an article published by the pro-Trump Daily Caller website earlier that day.

That article claimed that an unnamed Washington-based Chinese company had planted hidden code on the private server Clinton used to send emails while Secretary of State.

The report is based on “two sources briefed on the matter” — though it’s unclear who briefed these sources or who they work for.

The report claims copies of all Clinton’s emails and documents were forwarded to the Chinese-owned company. The Daily Caller’s reporting follows up a July claim made by Rep. Louie Gohmert that virtually all of Clinton’s emails had been sent to a “foreign entity” — that wasn’t Russia.

READ: Apple is doing everything it can to keep China on-side

Gohmert didn’t name the “foreign entity” but said he had evidence to back up his claim — evidence he has yet to produce. Gohmert also claimed the Intelligence Community Inspector General’s office had repeatedly warned members of the FBI that such a breach had taken place — including fired FBI agent Peter Strzok — but they failed to act on the information.

Around midday Wednesday, an FBI spokesperson countered Trump's claim, telling the Washington Post that the agency "has not found any evidence the servers were compromised."

This is not the first unlettered claim Trump has thrown at China. In 2012, he tweeted that global warming was a hoax created by the Chinese.

China responded to Trump’s accusations on Wednesday.

“This isn’t the first time we’ve heard similar kinds of allegations,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said.

She may have been referring to the claims Trump made in April 2017, that China had hacked emails in order to meddle in the 2016 election — an allegation he also failed to provide evidence for.

Beijing has consistently denied any involvement in overseas hacking efforts. “China is a staunch defender of cybersecurity. We firmly oppose and crack down on any forms of internet attacks and the stealing of secrets,” Hua added.

However there is ample evidence that Beijing has conducted highly-sophisticated and organized cyber attacks in recent years — specializing in cyber espionage and the theft of intellectual property.

Cover image: Donald Trump makes brief remarks during a meeting with FIFA President Gianni Infantino and U.S. Soccer President Carlos Cordeiro in the Oval Office at the White House August 28, 2018 in Washington, DC. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)