RantCrush Top 5: February 27, 2017

Last week, a man named Nils Bildt appeared on Fox News billed as a Swedish defense and national security adviser. Bildt discussed Swedish immigration policies and claimed that immigration has led to a crime spike. But as it turns out, officials in Sweden don’t know who he is. The Swedish military said that it had never heard of the guy. Magnus Ranstorp, head of terrorism research at the Swedish Defense University in Stockholm, even said, “There isn’t any Nils Bildt.” It’s also impossible that he could have held the job Fox News attributed to him: “there is no such position in the Swedish hierarchy,” Ranstorp said.

Fox News Uses Fake “Swedish Security Adviser” With Criminal Record to Hype Trump’s Fake Swedish Terror Attack https://t.co/DHeDrmH6Cf pic.twitter.com/12DdXnBS1I

— Charles Johnson (@Green_Footballs) February 25, 2017

Bildt has lived outside of Sweden since 1994 and has spent many years in the U.S. He was convicted of several misdemeanors in Virginia, including assaulting a police officer in 2014. He started using the last name “Bildt” a couple of years ago when he attempted to start a career as a far-right politician in Sweden. Bildt is also the last name of Sweden’s former prime minister, Carl Bildt, who said that the name choice was probably a tactic to gain credibility.

Emma Von Zeipel

Emma Von Zeipel is a staff writer at Law Street Media. She is originally from one of the islands of Stockholm, Sweden. After working for Democratic Voice of Burma in Thailand, she ended up in New York City. She has a BA in journalism from Stockholm University and is passionate about human rights, good books, horses, and European chocolate. Contact Emma at EVonZeipel@LawStreetMedia.com.