Pizzagate

Pizzagate is the (admittedly rather silly and unoriginal) name of an actual conspiracy theory claiming that Hillary Clinton is secretly involved in a pedophile ring centered around a pizza restaurant in Washington, D.C.Wikileaks Bombshell Reveals Clinton Email "Where They Are Literally Pricing How Much It Costs to Transport Children." (November 6, 2016) Resurgence Media Network (archived copy from 23 Nov 2016 06:04:10 UTC). This outlandish theory was spawned from a highly peculiar pattern-analytical reading of the hacked emails leaked by Wikileaks belonging to then-manager of Clinton's 2016 presidential campaign, as the highly suspect code phrase "cheese pizza" figured among said correspondence.The Saga of 'Pizzagate': The fake story that shows how conspiracy theories spread (2 December 2016) BBC News.Pizzagate shows how fake news hurts real people (November 25, 2016) Washington Post. The fact that the mention of cheese pizza was much more interesting to some people than the says something about the conspiracy crowd.
The Pizzagate theory was initially promoted and popularized on the notorious Poe-nest 4chan and on Reddit. It spread quickly over various fake news websites, as well as social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter, and culminated in an armed man, arguably acting on the suggestion of one Alex Jones,Alex Jones Deletes Video In Which He Had Told His Audience To Personally "Investigate" "Pizzagate" Restaurant. Deletion Came After Listener Seeking To "Self-Investigate" Comet Ping Ping Fired Shots Inside by Eric Hananoki (December 16, 2016 2:51 PM EST) Media Matters. entering the lion's den pizza parlor in question, rifle in hand, to "self-investigate" the claims in December 2016. Luckily, no one was injured. 
==Origin and spread==
The foundations of Pizzagate were laid by 4chan trolls scouring Clinton-related emails released by Wikileaks, looking for dirt. They found a series of emails which mentioned the pizza parlor in Washington, D.C., having seen occasional use as a venue for DNC fundraising events.The Podesta Emails Wikileaks Because life is random, the phrase "cheese pizza" happened to be an inside joke referring to child pornography on 4chan.cheese pizza Urban Dictionary.Everything You Need To Know About Pizzagate (Is Insane) (February 07, 2017) Cracked. Thus, users started to fabricate a conspiracy theory around the mention of this generic food item in the Podesta emails, soon speculating up a storm. Based on this diligent research, they quickly concluded that Podesta, Clinton and others were all part of a clandestine pedophile ring operating out of the innocent-looking pizza parlor.Pizzagate, the fake news conspiracy theory that led a gunman to DC's Comet Ping Pong, explained: How Pizzagate went from the musings of 4chan trolls to the cause for a gunman at Comet Ping Pong by German Lopez (Dec 8, 2016, 11:15am EST) Vox. The conspira-trollery eventually flooded Reddit, where, on /r/The_Donald/, redditor "DumbScribblyUnctious" collected all the dubious conspiracy theories into one giant screed titled "Comet Ping Pong — Pizzagate Summary".Comet Ping Pong — Pizzagate Summary Reddit (archived from 14 Nov 2016).
For the simple reason that this inherently borders on actual absurdist comedy, the popularity of the Pizzagate manufactroversy grew quickly, with theories about the supposed conspiracy quickly growing ridiculously complex and lengthy. Professional insanity dispenser Alex Jones fanned the flames by adding his own conspiratorial twist, posting an InfoWars bulletin titled Pizzagate Is Real: Something Is Going On, But What?,Open thread for night owls: Alex Jones scrubs 'pizzagate' content cited by lunatic gunman by Hunter (Dec 13, 2016 · 8:00 PM PST) Daily Kos. where he told viewers that "you have to go investigate it for yourself", neglecting to factor in that his viewers might actually be impressionable enough to .
As Pizzagate blew up on the internet, the hashtag #pizzagate began trending on Twitter.#pizzagate on Twitter Twitter Comet Ping Pong suddenly gained a massive amount of followers on Instagram, along with numerous death threats. The conspiracy theory was actively spread on Twitter by a number of Trump supporters, a mob apparently still consumed by Trump's (later completely abandoned) "crooked Hillary" narrative, desperate for any scraps of manufactroversy that could realize their wet dream — to "lock her up".
===Meanwhile in Turkey...===
Turkish media outlets loyal to sultan president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan responsibly decided to publish articles promoting the Pizzagate conspiracy theory.How the alt-right's PizzaGate conspiracy hid real scandal in Turkey by Efe Kerem Sozeri (Nov 23 at 4:47PM) The Daily Dot. Aside from the goal of generally stirring anti-American sentiment in Turkey, the stories were likely meant to deflect from a sexual abuse scandal implicating a charitable foundation with ties to Erdoğan's ruling party, and to distract from crackdowns on dissent after the attempted coup of July 2016.
===A gunman===
As Pizzagate propagated across social media through various fake news outlets, with strategic command in charge of Hillary-bashing operations taking the hysteria to a new level, many people, lacking the apparent ability to tell fact from fiction, took the whole production for a real news story. One such misguided individual 28-year-old Edgar Maddison Welch 'Pizzagate' gunman killed by police in North Carolina, authorities say (January 10, 20252:13 AM ET) Associated Press via NPR. from Salisbury, North Carolina decided to respond to Alex Jones' impassioned pleas for General Kenobi someone to take matters into their own hands and "personally investigate".
Like a modern-day fake news-fueled Welch ominously stepped inside Comet Ping Pong on December 4, 2016 at around 3 p.m., when the parlor was packed with customers.Edgar Maddison Welch: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know by Tom Cleary (Dec 4, 2016 at 9:49pm) Heavy.com. And Welch hadn't come alone, either (making his entrance brandishing a loaded rifle), supposedly on a mission to "self-investigate" the Pizzagate conspiracy. Understandably, employees and diners alike made like a tree and left the scene. In a sense, Welch had successfully managed to drain that particular NWO swamp. According to his own post-arrest words, Welch "fired off some rounds". Thankfully (though oddly, perhaps battling some kind of Pizzergeist?), he only fired his gun once he was alone in the parlor. Soon after, he was promptly arrested after surrendering to police.Here's What We Know About The Alleged "Pizzagate" Gunman: Edgar Maddison Welch was arrested after police said he came to investigate a ludicrous conspiracy theory that a popular restaurant secretly provides underage prostitutes to top Democrats (Originally posted on Dec. 5, 2016 at 7:06 a.m. Updated on Dec. 5, 2016 at 2:22 p.m.) Buzzfeed.Fake news, real violence: 'Pizzagate' and the consequences of an Internet echo chamber by Brian Stelter (December 6, 2016: 9:30 AM ET) CNN Money.Washington gunman motivated by fake news 'Pizzagate' conspiracy: Washington restaurant Comet Ping Pong was target of fake news reports it was operating a child abuse ring led by Hillary Clinton and an aide (Monday 5 December 2016 07.51 EST) The Guardian.A man just walked into the Comet restaurant in DC with a rifle. No shots heard. I'm ok, hiding in the red fox coffeeshop next door. by Kent Hoshiko (12:11 PM - 4 Dec 2016) Twitter (archived from 7 Dec 2016 08:36:36 UTC). Welch later stated that:The Comet Ping Pong Gunman Answers Our Reporter’s Question by Adam Goldman (Dec. 7, 2016) New York Times.
While Welch first heard of the Pizzagate conspiracy through word of mouth, he confirmed it was the barrage of nonsense on the internet that led him to believe his actions were warranted.
After the shooting, Alex Jones later apologized:Alex Jones, Infowars, 24 March 2017.Tom O'Connor, Alex Jones Apologizes for 'Pizzagate' Fake News. Newsweek, 24 March 2017.
At some point, the InfoWars apology was deleted from the web site.One might say Alex Jones welched on the apology that likely kept him from facing the music on this one (see what we did there?) Taking and bearing responsibility is too much effort.
Some Pizzagate believers condemned Welch on Facebook, accusing him of being a crisis actor involved in a false flag.Pizzagate’s violent legacy: The gunman who terrorized a D.C. pizzeria is out of prison. The QAnon conspiracy theories he helped unleash are out of control. by Michael E. Miller (February 16, 2021) The Washington Post. However, if one starts from the premise that Pizzagate is true, one could conclude that Welch acted rationally;How Fascism Works: The Politics of Us and Them by Jason Stanley (2018) Random House. ISBN 9780525511830. this is basically what Welch had confessed. The conclusion from this is that Pizzagate, like many conspiracy theories, is not meant to be believed but to function as a smear campaign.
In May 2019, an FBI memo from the Phoenix Field Office designated several political conspiracy theories (QAnon, Pizzagate, HAARP, New World Order, Sandy Hook massacre) as domestic threats with the potential to incite violence.FBI document warns conspiracy theories are a new domestic terrorism threat by Jana Winter (August 1, 2019) Yahoo News.(U//LES) Anti-Government, Identity Based, and Fringe Political Conspiracy Theories Very Likely Motivate Some Domestic Extremists to Commit Crminal, Sometimes Violent Activity (30 May 2019) FBI Phoenix Field Office via Scribd. As evidence, the FBI cited arrests for criminal activities associated with the theories.
On January 4, 2025 Welch was a passenger in a vehicle pulled over for an outstanding arrest warrant on the driver. When officers realized Welch also had an outstanding warrant for a parole violation they attempted to remove him from the vehicle and arrest him. Welch pulled out a handgun, pointed it at an officer, and it was demanded he drop the weapon. When he refused two of the officers opened fire. Welch died in the hospital two days later.
===Team Trump responds===
As it happens, even Michael G. Flynn, son of Trump confidante and retired lieutenant general Michael T. Flynn, promoted the conspiracy theory, tweeting on December 6:Trump Fires Adviser’s Son From Transition for Spreading Fake News by Matthew Rosenberg, et al. (Dec. 6, 2016) New York Times.
His comments attracted national attention and even resulted in him being fired from Trump's transition team. Even after his sacking, Flynn shared several tweets by Gamergater and lawyer Mike Cernovich, showing continued support for the conspiracy theory and tacitly implying that he believed the gunman incident might have been a false flag operation.
==="Reputable" sources===
*Alex Jones: "PIZZAGATE IS A DIVERSION FROM THE GREATER CRIMES IN PODESTA WIKILEAKS" by Alex Jones (December 5, 2016) Infowars. (Well, yes it is, since he's the one who made it an issue in the first damn place.)
*The Daily Stormer (neo-Nazi) headline: "Massive Cover-Up of Pizzagate Child Sex Ring Allegations" by Ben Richards (November 27, 2016) Daily Stormer.
*The Right Stuff (neo-Nazi) opening paragraph: "Make yourself aware of the information, use it to prepare memes and to make the lives of Leftists miserable. Do not run headlong into Illuminati conspiracy, that has been a failing tactic in the past, so we must exercise extreme caution around this topic."#PizzaGate by Butch Leghorn (Nov 27, 2016) The Right Stuff (archived from 17 Mar 2017 00:09:57 UTC).
*What Does It Mean (conspiracist) headline: "Assassination Of Finnish Reporters Investigating Bizarre 'Pizzagate' Plot Puzzles Russia" by "Sorcha Faal" (December 5, 2016) What Does It Mean.
*Smoloko News (anti-Semitic) headline: DHS Insider: CIA AND MOSSAD BEHIND DC PEDO RINGDHS INSIDER: CIA AND MOSSAD BEHIND DC PEDO RING (February 23, 2017) smoloko.com
*YourNewsWire (clickbait) headline: "Pizzagate: BBC Cover Up Another Huge Pedophile Scandal" by "Baxter Dmitry" (December 3, 2016) YourNewWire.
*The New Nationalist (neo-Nazi) headline: "Will General Flynn Bust the DC Pizzagate Pedophile Ring?" by Thomas Müller (November 21, 2016) The New Nationalist.
*We Occupy Earth, (conspiracist) headline: "BREAKING !!! Julian ASSANGE Dead man SWITCH goes off after Exposing Hillary CLINTON !" by Daniel J Towsey (November 21, 2016) We Occupy Earth.
*WebLine News (clickbait) headline: "Triggered Reddit CEO Shuts Pizzagate Community Then Alters User Comments"Triggered Reddit CEO Shuts Pizzagate Community then Alters User Comments (November 24, 2016) WebLine News (archived from 8 Dec 2016 22:57:47 UTC).
*Before It's News (All of the above) headline: "'Pizzagate': How 4Chan Uncovered the Sick World of Washington’s Occult Elite" (November 21, 2016 8:48) Before It's News.
When the unified neo-Nazi/tinfoil/clickbait front is on your side, you know you're doing it right.
==(Mis)infographics==
Several images circulating on Twitter claim to reveal the "truth" about Pizzagate. These collages are indistinguishable from displays of batshit insanity, commonly known as "crazy walls" or "serial killer walls".Crazywalls (October 25, 2017) Tumblr. Haig's Law may be useful here.
===Infographic #1===
The first infographic we look at eases us into the crazy world of a nutjob. It delves into several emails from the Clinton email leak:Email ID #32795 WikileaksEmail ID #30613 Wikileaks
===Infographic #2===
 Also, there isn't any care for critical thinking; you should just trust all the most contrived patterns you're seeing only because you're actively looking for them while ignoring everything that inconveniences the narrative.
===Infographic #3===
This infographic takes images off of Comet Ping Pong's FaceBook which are band posters and points things out with little analysis.
===Infographic #4===
===Infographic #5===
===Podesta email "code words"===
Word 	 	Supposed meaning
hotdog 	=	boy
pizza 	=	girl
cheese 	=	little girl
pasta 	=	little boy
ice cream	=	male prostitute
walnut 	=	person of colour
map 	=	semen
sauce 	=	orgy
domino 	=	BDSM
Cranks speculated that words and phrases used in leaked Clinton-related emails were pedophile codewords. (Of course, these words could also be used normally in normal conversations, but apparently cranks feel the pedophile meanings are somehow more "believable".)Search all Podesta emails for these keywords. We are uncovering a child sex ring. by Jared Wyand (November 4, 2016) Twitter (archived from November 4, 2016). No attempt is made to prove that such a code exists, it's merely asserted without evidence.
==="Pizzagate: Just The Facts"===
One (mis)infographic features an explanatory paragraph that speculates on the extent of the conspiracy and who's involved in it:Pizzagate infographic SLiMG (archived from December 5, 2016).
Of course, every politician is part of the conspiracy — with the exception of Donald Trump, because he "isn't really a true politician, even as president".
* An infographic claims that codewords used by pedophiles are used in Clinton-related emails. But aside from "chicken", terms like "sauce", "pasta", "pizza", "handkerchief",Disturbing Phrases In Podesta Emails Point To Hillary Crew Speaking In Code by Dawn Parabellum (November 6, 2016) Mad World News. and "pillows" are not documented terms used by pedophiles; they were pulled out of thin air.
* Adherents believe that the supposed pedophile ring also worships Satan, citing as evidence a jokey email signature used by retired Foreign Service officer Lewis Amselem: "With fingers crossed, the old rabbit's foot out of the box in the attic, I will be sacrificing a chicken in the backyard to …"Hillary Clinton Email Archive Wikileaks.DNC leaks (2016) Reddit. Never mind that Moloch isn't Satan.
===Pizza.jpg===
The alleged cornerstone of Pizzagate is an attachment found in a forwarded email from Bill Clinton advisor Doug Band in 2009 called "pizza.jpg". The attachment contains a photo of two adults enjoying pizza with a kid, which is supposedly evidence of child molestation; however, the email and its attachment were completely misinterpreted.Re: pizza.jpg Original email containing "pizza.jpg" (2009-08-08 00:21) Wikileaks. What "Pizza.jpg" actually shows is American journalists Euna Lee and Laura Ling along with a young girl, possibly Lee's daughter Hana. The three are eating pizza after Clinton secured their release from captivity in North Korea in August 2009. "As John said, it doesn't get any better than this," Band comments to Clinton aide Huma Abedin, Podesta, and others. "Nice", Podesta responds.What on earth is Pizzagate? by Nathan Tempey (Dec 5, 2016 3:35 pm) DCist.
No child abuse. No pedophile ring. Yet cranks continued to cook up nutty conspiracies based on the photo.Disturbing Phrases In Podesta Emails Point To Hillary Crew Speaking In Code by Dawn Parabellum (November 6, 2016) Mad World News."As John said, it doesn't get any better than this" - Doug Band pizza.jpg (2016) Reddit.
==Lessons and conclusions==
===Crème de la Kremlin===
Pizzagate was confirmed in Senate intelligence committee hearings by Clint Watts to be part of a Russian "Active Measures" online operation pushing fake news, ludicrous conspiracies, and a general pro-Russian agenda.Clint Watts' Testimony: Russia's Info War on the U.S. Started in 2014: Clint Watts is testifying Thursday morning before the Senate's intelligence committee on Russia’s interference in U.S. politics. Here's what he told the senators. by Clint Watts (30 March 2017, 6:44 AM ET) Daily Beast.Russian Trolls Spread Baseless Conspiracy Theories Like Pizzagate And QAnon After The Election: Less than two weeks after the first "Q" post appeared on 4chan, a Russia-backed troll account began amplifying the conspiracy theory on Twitter. by Salvador Hernandez (August 15, 2018, at 10:49 p.m. ET) BuzzFeed News. These findings lent support to what Glen Caplin, spokesman for the Clinton campaign, had argued previously:Hacked 80-page roundup of paid speeches shows Clinton 'praising Wall Street': Clinton's speaker's bureau flagged hundreds of excerpts from her high-dollar speeches that could prove damaging. by Kyle Cheney (10/12/2016 03:37 PM EDT Updated 10/12/2016 04:09 PM EDT) Politico.
===This is why we can't have nice things===
 
Thanks to Pizzagate, something called "cybersteria" (i.e. public hysteria caused by internet trolls) is now a thing.With Pizzagate, Is Cybersteria The New Normal? by Fruzsina Eordogh (Dec 7, 2016 @ 06:56 PM) Forbes. That means BS (like Pizzagate) brainstormed by assholes on 4chan or 8chan, picked up by the Alex Jones Infowars crazy train, amplified and spread by fake news sites, and then kept alive by Twitter trolls is something we're all going to have to live with.
Facebook is now taking the problem of fake news (and its own role in perpetuating it) much more seriously, looking into ways to identify it and stop treating it like any other trending topic in the future. Thanks, Facebook — too little, too late!
A large fault with the story surrounding the Pizzagate situation is the nature of the allegations. In short, all of the "evidence" is and it's not even good circumstantial evidence, either. Even if Comet Pizza does have a pedophile ring, self-investigators are doing an extremely poor job pushing their case. To date, no evidence or victims have come forward to confirm the existence of a crime of any sorts at Comet Ping Pong.'Pizzagate': How a WikiLeaks-fuelled conspiracy theory led to gunfire at a D.C. restaurant: Trump adviser's son among those perpetuating false story of Democrat-run child sex trafficking ring by Matthew Barakat & Jessica Gresko (Posted: Dec 06, 2016 1:45 PM ET Last Updated: Dec 06, 2016 1:45 PM ET) CBC News.
==The aftermath==
John Podesta made a tweet which pissed off conspiracy theorists:
The tweet links to a Washington Post article by James Alefantis:Washington Post What happened when 'Pizzagate' came to my restaurant
===Donutgate===
After the main course, it is customary to follow with dessert. In Pizzagate's case, this means the equally horrible Donutgate, with bizarre pedo ring theories centered on the quirky beloved Portland staple Donutgate: How one Oregon donut shop became the target of online conspiracy theorists
===Pizzagate 2: Electric Boogaloo===
As the Pizzagate conspiracy faded away, most of the energy in the movement got absorbed into QAnon. However, as of 2019, the ashes of Pizzagate continue to smolder on within, with some still engaged in the quest of busting up elite pedo sex rings they perceive to be running in Comet Ping Pong's basement. (Comet Ping Pong, incidentally, does not have a basement.)
On January 23, 2019, in what was possibly propelled by conspiracy theories (based on his parents earlier posting conspiracy videos pushed by "Joe M"), Ryan Jaselskis attempted to set a black curtain at Comet Ping Pong on fire, bizarrely (but perhaps related to the conspiracy theory) leaving behind a diaper and baby food in the process."Man pleads guilty to fire at DC Comet pizza restaurant associated with 'Pizzagate'", Associated Press, 2019-12-19"'Pizzagate' video was posted to YouTube account of alleged arsonist's parents before fire", Brandy Zadrozny and Ben Collins, NBC News, 2019-02-14
Several years late to the party, on November 28 2023, Elon Musk shared a meme on Twitter stating that "Pizzagate is real" and replied to several other Pizzagate tweets."Elon Musk Endorses Conspiracy With Meme Saying ‘Pizzagate Is Real’" by Matthew Gault, Vice, 2023 November 28"Elon Musk has boosted the 'pizzagate' conspiracy theory five times in the last two weeks" by Ben Goggin, NBC News, 2023 November 29 Unsurprisingly given the devolution of Twitter under Musk, despite the Pizzagate conspiracy being long dead, Musk's signal boosts had the effect of temporarily increasing traffic relating to Pizzagate on Twitter by over 9500%."Elon Musk Drove a 9,500-Percent Surge in Pizzagate Content" by Tim Dickinson, Rolling Stone, 2023 December 7
==See also==
*Coverup
*Hillary Clinton
*Deep web Want to see more (mis)infographics? 4chan has you covered.
*Fake news
*Frazzledrip — a breakaway conspiracy theory based on fake news, the dark web, and adrenochrome
*Pissgate
*Satanic panic We'll have you know that Gen-X perfected the child sex conspiracy, thank you very much. And we didn't use memes or pizza, we did it with cocaine and hard work.
*WikiLeaks Those ultimately responsible for the entire mess.
*QAnon the crazier sequel that is more infamous
==External links==
*Snopes on Pizzagate
*"The PizzaGate Gunman's Paranoid Rescue Fantasy Comes from a Long American Tradition": because Pizzagate isn't the first time something like this happened (link to Reason).
*"A Moral Panic for the Age of Trump".
*
*"A real pizzagate implementation, by the clergy".
==Notes==
==References==
Category:4chan
Category:2016 US presidential election
Category:Alt-right
Category:Alt-lite
Category:The Clintons
Category:Fake news
Category:Gates
Category:Media hysteria
Category:Pseudohistory
Category:QAnon
Category:Right-wing troll campaigns
Category:Russia
Category:Trumpism