For what it's worth, the plaintiffs claimed to have received a tip that Mike Connell was being threatened for providing testimony against Karl Rove. That testim

For what it's worth, the plaintiffs claimed to have received a tip that Mike Connell was being threatened for providing testimony against Karl Rove. That testimony was provided in a sworn affidavit. So one can speculate as to whether or not the anonymous tip was a legitimate threat, but the concept you criticize has a basis in the events surrounding this case.