Jeb Bush floats a Trump-Clinton conspiracy theory

By Ryan Lovelace, Ryan Lovelace

Published December 20, 2015

Is Donald Trump a double agent for Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign?

In a tweet, Jeb Bush questioned whether Trump had negotiated a deal with Clinton that would ensure she wins the White House in 2016.

Bush reacted to Trump tweeting about a USA Today poll that showed more than two-thirds of Trump's supporters would still vote for Trump if he abandoned the GOP and ran for president as an independent.

Rival GOP presidential candidates and conservative thinkers have questioned whether Trump is truly running to benefit Clinton. On Monday, Bill Kristol tweeted a question about whether Trump was a "double agent" working for Clinton. John Weaver, the top strategist for John Kasich's presidential campaign, has similarly floated the idea that Trump was a "highly secret tool created by the Clinton campaign."

"When history is written about campaign cycle, not going to be shocked to read about back channel communications between Trump & B. Clinton," Weaver tweeted in November.

The Washington Post may also have fanned the flames of the conspiracy theory. An August story from the Post claims that President Bill Clinton spoke with Trump before the billionaire announced his presidential candidacy and that Clinton "encouraged Trump's efforts to play a larger role in the Republican Party and offered his own views of the political landscape."