Donald Trump has repeatedly claimed that “thousands and thousands” of Arab American residents of Jersey City, New Jersey, celebrated as the Twin Towers collapsed during the September 11, 2001 attacks. This event never occurred, but Trump still insists he saw it on TV.
In order to defend this patently false claim, Trump campaign aide Dan Scavino took to Twitter last night in an attempt to back up Trump’s assertion:
Within hours – authorities detained & questioned people allegedly seen celebrating the attacks & holding parties on rooftops in #JerseyCity.
— Daniel Scavino Jr. (@DanScavino) November 23, 2015
Authorities raided an apartment in #JerseyCity. During raids, 3 men were detained – than 3 more in Elizabeth w/ cash & one way tix to Syria.
— Daniel Scavino Jr. (@DanScavino) November 23, 2015
Scavino pointed to unproven claims that as many as six people were detained following the attacks.
He did not link to any news stories but he was likely referring to what the AP described at the time as “rumors of rooftop celebrations of the attack by Muslims,” which the AP determined were “unfounded.”
But even Scavino’s six suspected 9/11 celebrators still fall far short of Trump’s claim that “thousands and thousands” were celebrating, and the campaign still hasn’t come forward with the television footage that Trump insists is real.
