Simultaneously, local elected officials were working behind the scenes to cut the fuse on the powder keg. But at a safe remove, Fox News and other conservative outlets dedicated nonstop coverage to the stalemate during the tensest hours on the ground. Finally, the Bureau of Land Management withdrew, and a victory was declared for Bundy. Then came Bundy’s now infamously racist rant, in which he questioned whether African Americans were better off when enslaved, and his support fell away.

At this point, Hannity and Co. washed their hands of the story. They had their anti-government victory, and now they needed to distance themselves from Bundy’s racism. Unfortunately, it was too late to truly pull the plug. The fringe had long since taken encouragement from all the supportive coverage.

Soon, a Bureau of Land Management agent working in Utah was threatened by two hooded men in an unmarked vehicle, who approached him while holding a sign that read: “You need to die.” One man reportedly brandished what appeared to be a Glock handgun.