Media overhype yet another hate crime story in rush to connect it to Trump, GOP

People can be jerks. That's a fact of life.

Sometimes you can read into crummy behavior and draw depressing conclusions about certain groups and institutions, and sometimes it's just someone acting alone.

The following story is about someone acting alone, despite attempts by some in the press to make it into a bigger thing about the GOP and even President Trump.

Here's what happened: A non-student handed out a foul, Nazi-themed Valentine's Day card earlier this week at a Central Michigan University College Republicans event. The card read, "my love 4 u burns like 6,000 jews," and it included a picture of Adolf Hitler.

The card was not written or condoned by anyone in that College Republicans group. This cannot be emphasized enough. It came from a non-student who apparently thought she was being funny.

"Unfortunately, a very inappropriate card was placed into a bag without other members' knowledge," said the College Republicans on Feb. 8 in a Facebook post. "We in no way condone this type of rhetoric or anti-Semitism. We apologize for any offense, and want students to know that we do not tolerate this sort of behavior."

The card, which, again, was written by a visitor, caught the attention several newsrooms. Unfortunately for the Central Michigan University College Republicans, few reporters avoided implicating them in their news coverage.

"College Republican club apologizes for handing out a joke Hitler-themed Valentine's card which mocks the Holocaust," read an extraordinarily misleading Feb. 9 Daily Mail headline.

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