Proof That Pizzagate Is Pure Nonsense

Conspiracy theory:As the theory gained steam in the United States, Turkey picked up the idea. A new wave of "evidence" about Pizzagate surfaced there. Conspiracy theorists claim thatVice-President Joe Bidenadmitted forcing relations with a senator's young daughter. Allegedly, a video supported these claims.

Why it's nonsense:The video supposedly showing Biden's confession was actually a swearing-in ceremony for Senator Chris Coons. Turkish media outlets dubbed the English video into Turkish to claim Biden abused children, which he did not.

Conspiracy theory:The Pizzagate fantasy becamea reality in TurkeyNews outlets promoted the idea as a real scandal. State media discussed the scandal, saying it offered proof of a conspiracy against Turkey. Re-dubbed videos of Democratic politicians appeared to back the conspiracy.

Why it's nonsense:Besides citing evidence from a subreddit banned in Turkey, the country's politics shaped the coverage. The conspiracy appeared months after a failed coup, and Turkish President Erdoğan sought support. Coverage of Pizzagate overshadowed negative press against Erdoğan, who offered to giveamnesty to child abusersAmplifying the Pizzagate conspiracy in the US gave him political cover while ignoring issues in his own country.

Conspiracy theory:Believers of the Pizzagateconspiracy assert a Democratic donor named James Alefantis had relations with children. He allegedly ran an underage ring for sexual services from the basement of his pizza parlor, Comet Ping Pong. Theorists cite Instagram photos of kids in the restaurant with modern art Alefantis hangs there.

Why it's nonsense:Comet Ping Pong has no basement. Without a basement, the entire conspiracy plot—a man with Democratic Party ties running an illegal ring out of his basement—falls apart.

Conspiracy theory:Comet Ping Pong, the pizza restaurant at the center of thePizzagate conspiracy theory, is owned by a Democratic donor. John Podesta, a Clinton and Obama campaign manager, visited the spot during the 2008 campaign. To link the restaurant to moving children illegally, 4chan posters suggested the moon symbols on the logo meant Satanic signs.

Why it's nonsense:Think about it. A simple reason exists for the moon in Comet Ping Pong's logo: comets exist in space, where the moon and stars live.

Conspiracy theory:Sex scandals and the Clintons link together like Wall Street and political donations. Accusations of sexual misconduct byscores of womenBalancing The Sex Scandal Scales links former president Bill Clinton to a supposed trafficking scandal.Things snowballed.Inflammatory Internet users caught the Pizzagate conspiracy and spread it as truth.

Why it's nonsense: Motives for linking Hillary Clinton to an extreme scandal after Donald Trump told Billy Bush he grabbed women "by the p*ssy" shortly after a tape surfaced before the Presidential election.by the p*ssy." Trump was also accused of Trump was accused of assaulting a teenage girl.Trump was accused of walking into the dressing rooms of girls in the Miss Teen USA contest.Miss Teen USA contest.Other claims by women allege sexual abuse by Trump.Women allege sexual abuse by Trump.The conspiracy aimed to smear Hillary by bringing up old accusations against Bill Clinton, not find the truth.

Conspiracy theory: A major part of the Pizzagate conspiracy involves investigating former New York congressman Anthony Weiner.Anthony WeinerWeiner was investigated for soliciting a minor. Right-wing conspiracy theorists spread false links between Hillary Clinton and Weiner's accusations.Weiner's wife, Huma Abedin, announced her divorce from Weiner when the allegations became public., who announced her divorce from Weiner as soon as the allegations became public, worked for the Clinton campaign.

Why it's nonsense: This evidence does not exist. Abedin and Clinton did not help Weiner seduce a minor. No evidence links Weiner's actions to anyone besides him. Any supposed connections come from anonymous sources on 4chan, extreme right-wing blogs, and white supremacist Twitter users lacking proof.

Conspiracy theory: One constant feature of the 2016 Presidential campaign involved the idea Hillary Clinton might face jail for using a private email server as Secretary of State. The FBI did investigate, but Congress investigated Clinton; she faced no charges. Still, the suspicion around Clinton gave the story some belief. Those links gave sensationalist blogs and Internet tabloids material to publish wild stories about Clinton's ties to the supposed child ring.The FBI and Congress investigated Clinton, but they never charged her with a crime.Congress investigated Clinton; she faced no charges. However, the suspicion around Clinton gave the story some belief. Those links gave sensationalist blogs and Internet tabloids material to publish wild stories about Clinton's ties to the supposed child ring.

Why it's nonsense: The FBI never linked Hillary Clinton to an underground ring. The bureau only suspected she misused an email server.The bureau only suspected she improperly used an email server.Allegations of trafficking came from Internet chat rooms.Trafficking allegations came from Internet chat rooms.

Conspiracy theory: The Internet and the real world mix strangely with the Alt-Right. Trolls joking about being Nazis or supporting Donald Trump for memes get a dose of reality.Trolls joking about being Nazis or supporting Donald Trump for memes get a dose of reality.Pizzagate became physical when Edgar Maddison Welch, an Infowars listener, traveled from North Carolina to Virginia to check the Pizzagate case. Welch investigated by dressing like a SWAT member, carrying an assault rifle, and firing at Comet Ping Pong.December 4, 2016.

Why it's nonsense: Welch dropped his belief after surrendering to authorities. After leaving the internet and going to Comet Ping Pong, Welch saw no underground ring existed. If the rumored ring was that strong, why was security so loose that an armed man walked right in? Welch thinks about these things during his four years in prison.

Conspiracy theory: Despite lacking any facts, Donald Trump and his supporters did not reject Pizzagate. Instead, Michael Flynn, Trump's National Security Advisor for a grand 24 days, retweeted stories from right-wing conspiracy blogs supporting the baseless Pizzagate rumors. Flynn's son also believed enough to tweet support. Believers saw Flynn as a powerful official lending credibility to the story.

Why it's nonsense: Flynn is at the top for useful idiots. After becoming National Security Advisor, Flynn resigned because he lied repeatedly about ties to Russian officials and talks with them about US sanctions. Flynn also claimed Clinton's win would make Christianity illegal and that Florida Democrats wanted Sharia law in the state.

Conspiracy theory: The Pizzagate theory spread fast online. Mike Cernovich pushed it.Mike Cernovicha live-streamer and advocate for the Gorilla Mindset. Cernovich hosts shows regularly.The Alex Jones Show, a radio program run by fellow conspiracy theorist Alex Jones. Jones gained a large audience and backed Donald Trump during his 2016 campaign. Jones also claimed the Sandy Hook tragedy was fake and that 9/11 was an inside job. Bob Woodward reported this.

Why it's nonsense: Jones said it was false. In a rare retraction, Jones admitted his claims about Comet Ping Pong being the center of an illicit ring were wrong.were false. Jones made this just under 30 days after first reporting the story and apologized to Comet Ping Pong owner James Alefantis. This likely avoided a lawsuit due to the baseless claims.

Conspiracy theory: The Pizzagate conspiracyConspiracy theorists linked facts about Comet Ping Pong to the conspiracy. Comet Ping Pong has strange art. Owner James Alefantis has ties to John Podesta and the Democratic party. Alefantis is gay and dated David Brock, another liberal connected to Podesta. Theorists connected these facts to a trafficking ring.

This is nonsense.The conspiracy theory uses a stereotype: gay men sexually engage with children more often than heterosexuals. This is a debunked theory, it still gave bogus proof that the child ring existed.

Conspiracy theory:Conspiracy theorists created ways to support Pizzagate. They claimed there was "secret code language" in emails hacked from John Podesta. Emails between James Alefantis and Podesta used words like "pizza," "hot dog," "pasta," "ice cream," and "walnut." A 4chan user claimed these words formed a code: "hotdog" meant "boy," "pizza" meant "girl," "pasta" meant "little boy," "ice cream" meant "male prostitute," and "walnut" meant "person of color." "map" and "sauce" stood for "semen" and "orgy," respectively.

This is nonsense.This cipher has no basis. "Cheese pizza" is a term on 4chan meaning "child pornography," or CP. Codes usually follow a pattern, not just word swaps. Nothing in the Podesta emails shows any normal word has a second meaning. An anonymous Internet user made this "code."

Conspiracy theory: Conspiracy theorists think the Comet Ping Pong's underground ring reaches the top of the Democratic Party. They claim it leads to 2016 candidate Hillary Clinton. Theorists point to emails (always The emails from campaign manager John Podesta came after his account was hacked. Podesta exchanged emails with James Alefantis, a frequent Democratic donor and owner of Comet Ping Pong pizza. Trolls, pranksters from 4chan, and Alt-Right Internet personalities then blamed Alefantis for many crimes and depraved acts, linking him to Clinton.

This is nonsense.Alefantis never met Hillary Clinton. Leaked emails show nothing wrong. Nothing connects the pizza shop owner to Clinton except emails to one of her employees.