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Pizzagate and the Comet Ping Pong shooting

In late 2016, an online theory claimed that DC pizzeria Comet Ping Pong hid a child-trafficking ring tied to Clinton associates. On Dec. 4, 2016, Edgar Maddison Welch fired a rifle inside the restaurant while "self-investigating" and found no children. The theory was investigated and is not supported by any evidence.

Dec 4, 2016 ·

What the record shows

DC police called the theory a "fictitious online conspiracy theory." According to the complaint, Welch said he had read online that Comet was "harboring child sex slaves." He fired shots inside the restaurant, found no evidence, and surrendered. Police and the FBI found nothing to support the claims. Welch pleaded guilty in March 2017 to two charges, and on June 22, 2017 Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson sentenced him to four years in prison. After his arrest, Welch told the New York Times that "the intel on this wasn't 100 percent."

What the record doesn’t support

Some believers argue the debunking was circular because it relied on the restaurant's denials and on police and media they distrust. The strongest independent test came from a believer: Welch searched the premises armed and found no captive children. No court case, investigation or witness has produced evidence for the claim. The theory itself grew from readings of hacked Podesta emails, not from evidence of crimes.

Sources

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