Brooklyn Lawmaker’s Aide Cites Bizarre Conspiracy Theory About Charlottesville Murder

Charlottesville First aid workers help those hurt by a car deliberately plowing into a crowd demonstrating against white supremacists marching. Image by Getty Images

By Josh Nathan-Kazis August 24, 2017

A top aide to a New York State Senator cited a bizarre “false flag” conspiracy theory claiming that the man whose car-ramming attack killed protester Heather Heyer in Charlottesville, Virginia was a “left wing operative” trying to start a civil war, the news site Kings County Politics reported.

Sen. Simcha Felder’s director of operations in Albany, Darlene Leder, emailed a constituent a link to a conspiracy website claiming that the murderous attack was a “false flag,” or hoax.

The constituent, progressive activist Eliana Meirowitz Nelson, had been asking Felder to issue a statement condemning neo-Nazis and white supremacists. Leder sent the link to back up a claim that the alleged murderer, James Fields, had no neo-Nazi ties.

Felder, who represents the Orthodox neighborhood of Boro Park in Brooklyn, distanced himself from the email in a statement to Kings County Politics. “I don’t know why anyone would send anything from such a crazy website,” he said. “I will discuss my dissatisfaction with her shortly.”

Though he is a Democrat, Felder caucuses with the Republicans in the State Senate, and has been the target of progressive activists.

Contact Josh Nathan-Kazis at [email protected] or on Twitter, @joshnathankazis.

Josh Nathan-Kazis is a staff writer for the Forward. He covers charities and politics, and writes investigations and longform.

A message from our CEO & publisher Rachel Fishman Feddersen

I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning, nonprofit journalism during this critical time.

Now more than ever, American Jews need independent news they can trust, with reporting driven by truth, not ideology. We serve you, not any ideological agenda

At a time when other newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall and invested additional resources to report on the ground from Israel and around the U.S. on the impact of the war, rising antisemitism and polarized discourse..

Readers like you make it all possible. Support our work by becoming a Forward Member and connect with our journalism and your community.

— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO