red herring

I’d call the opening murder a red herring except it’s really more like a fish left to cook in the blinding Bakersfield sun.

Kim, the deputy director of North Korea's propaganda department, said Seoul's claim was an "unfounded unilateral supposition and a red herring".

"The initial narrative has proven a bit of a red herring," said Mill Pond Research's Caen.

“There were a lot more dead ends and red herrings that would bog down readers,” Hogan observes.

“It’s a red herring to distract from the evidence that matters: witness interview notes, videos, photos, etc.”