Fake Crack Pipes: How The GOP Is Using A Conspiracy Theory To Threaten Gov’t Shutdown

This article has been updated.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) took to the floor on Tuesday to say he is “hopeful” that his GOP colleagues will cooperate with a three-week continuing resolution to keep the government funded ahead of Friday’s looming shutdown deadline.

“No one and certainly not my Republican colleagues want a Republican government shutdown,” Schumer said. “So I’m hopeful they will cooperate with us to pass this necessary CR which every single Democrats wants.”

Schumer’s remarks come a day after Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) threatened to hold up the bill to keep the government funded until the Biden administration addresses her questions about a debunked conspiracy theory involving … crack pipes. Like many GOP grievances these days, the conspiracy theory was birthed in the right-wing media swamps and has made its way to the halls of Congress, becoming Republicans’ latest talking point for obstruction.