Sometimes you hear a claim that is so ludicrous and improbable that it requires taking an immediate pause. That happened today in regards to a claim about Michelle Obama made by her “lead” Secret Service Agent.

According to Mike Sington, who claims to be formerly of NBC, Michelle Obama’s life as First Lady was so terrible that she could go “nowhere in public” without having racial slurs hurled at her.

Michelle Obama’s lead Secret Service Agent reveals the Former First Lady could go nowhere in public without racial slurs being directed against her. She was outraged, but powerless to protect her from words and signs. She could only intervene if there was a physical threat. pic.twitter.com/S3arCGf82r

— Mike Sington (@MikeSington) May 20, 2021

Allow me to suggest that this is not only improbable but obviously nonsensical. One, the Obamas were largely adored by a segment of the American public, with screaming, fawning crowds everywhere they went. Now, are we truly supposed to believe that every single time Michelle Obama left the White House that rabid racists were yelling obscenities at her and not once was it ever 1) caught on video or 2) reported on by eyewitnesses? Further, are we to believe that Michelle Obama herself didn’t see fit to ever mention this while they were in office?

To put this lightly, give me a break. This is not a thing that happened, in my opinion. That’s not to eschew the possibility that at one singular point in time something inappropriate was said to the former First Lady, but there is no evidence that she was assailed by racist insults to the point where she could go “nowhere” in public. And to be clear, that’s the claim being made.

Of course, this all fits a broader narrative Michelle Obama has been pushing since her husband left office, which is that America is systemically racist and that she has been plagued with hardships instead of the obvious privilege she’s enjoyed throughout her life (see Michelle Obama Has One Heck of a Skewed Opinion of America and BLM). That doesn’t mean her life has been perfect (whose has?), but there comes a point where playing victim devolves firmly into gaslighting and ridiculousness.

In short, claims like this should be substantiated, not thrown out as authoritative. This thing politicians and the media do where they cast a dark cloud of racism over entire populations without providing any evidence is gross. Michelle Obama is, objectively, one of the most privileged people to ever exist in the United States, and that privilege was apparent long before she became First Lady. Michelle Obama should be the first person in line to extol the greatness of the American system instead of pretending she’s been oppressed by it even as she resided in the White House for eight years. It’s unseemly and insults the intelligence of everyone involved.