"I Know Nothing..." Ad

Whenever Trump and his fellow Republicans run out of ways to dodge questions they either claim ignorance, or what might be called the Sergeant Schultz defense:  

“I Know Nothing.”

The rotund character from the TV show Hogan’s Heroes, a German guard in a camp for American prisoners of war, regularly avoided responsibility by sputtering “I know nothing,  I saw nothing.”

The phrase is known to everyone who ever saw the show and most who haven’t.  It’s come to represent evasion and self-protection.

The profession of ignorance is a standard technique Republicans use on a daily basis. .t’s quite remarkable that reporters NEVER call him on it. Apparently neither they nor the Republican base expect anything less from them.

In a recent example, Trump claimed ignorance to cover up his lie about using the hallowed grounds of Arlington National Cemetery to promote his candidacy.  He claimed not to know the cemetery’s rules or who shot the video of his appearance that later appeared on TikTok.

It’s a little surprising that late-night talk show hosts or even independent video makers haven’t mocked Trump with references to Sgt. Schultz.

The campaign should beat them.  It’s short, to the point, and has the added value of employing a Nazi caricature.

It would be interesting to see the Trump campaign respond to it.