The internet exploded Tuesday after an audience member seated behind Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh was falsely accused of making a white supremacist hand gesture.
Zina Bash was seen behind Kavanaugh looking down at her cell phone for a brief moment and then put her hand on her arm. Some social media users believed it was similar to an "OK" sign.
Bash, who works at the White House on the "confirmation team" and worked for Kavanaugh, has claimed that she was just scratching her arm.
Bash's husband has also come to her aid, saying she was "half Mexican" and "her grandparents were Holocaust survivors."
“Everyone tweeting this vicious conspiracy theory should be ashamed of themselves,” John Bash wrote.
There is no evidence that she is affiliated with any hate groups.
The Anti-Defamation League has explained that online trolls promoted the "OK" gesture as a hoax to make liberals look foolish.
"Leftists have dug so deep down into their lunacy," the originator of the hoax explained. "We must force [them] to dig more, until the rest of society ain’t going anywhere near that s***."
(Note: This article has been updated for clarity.)
