Yes, I have a close relative who is deep into conspiracy theories, and in conversation we skirted around that one. He referenced the idea and then said somethin

Yes, I have a close relative who is deep into conspiracy theories, and in conversation we skirted around that one. He referenced the idea and then said something like “of course, we are told that can’t possibly be true, although there are some very serious people who do think there might be something to it”. That was his off-ramp as he didn’t want to try to defend it, but he clearly didn’t completely dismiss it. The guy has a PhD from a respectable university.