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There's a WikiLeak
WikiLeaks, a self-described "international non-profit organization" that publishes secret information provided by anonymous sources, contacts Russian hackers who stole election-related materials from various Democratic Party operatives to inquire about working together to strategically release said materials when they will cause maximum damage. -
Check Your Email
Russian operatives send an email containing hacked emails and documents to WikiLeaks. -
WikiLeaks Email Dump
With a month to go before the 2016 presidential election, WikiLeaks begins releasing emails hacked from the account of John Podesta, Hillary Clinton’s campaign chairman. -
Reddit Rabbit Hole
Social media users on a popular Reddit forum dedicated to presidential candidate Donald J. Trump and 4chan’s far-right fringe message board search the Podesta releases for evidence of wrongdoing. -
Pizza in the Emails
Within Podesta's emails are discussions that include the word "pizza," including dinner plans between him and his lobbyist brother, Tony Podesta. -
Huma's Emails
A white supremacist Twitter account claims that "rumors" are stirring among NYC police that former Clinton aide Huma Abedin's emails "point to a pedophilia ring and @HillaryClinton is at the center." The tweet is tied to claims that emails from Abedin's estranged husband, disgraced former Democratic congressman Anthony Weiner, contain evidence that the former Sec. of State was involved in an "international child enslavement ring." -
Inside the FBI
Another conspiracy theorist doubles down on the Clinton sex ring story, claiming that an "FBI insider" has confirmed the claims. Chatter on 4chan, Twitter, Reddit and Facebook filters down to right-wing blogs, pro-Trump websites and other conspiracy sites, where the fake news quickly spreads, augmented by new false stories. Subsequent stories include claims that the NYPD had raided Clinton's home less than a week before the Nov. 8 presidential election. -
4chan Phrasing Malfunction
A participant on 4chan connects the phrase “cheese pizza” (found in Podesta's emails) to pedophiles, who use the initials “c.p.” on chat boards to denote child pornography. -
It's a Comet
After the "revelation" of alleged child pornography references in Podesta's emails, DC restaurant Comet Pizza gets looped into the story when those emails reveal that Podesta corresponded with Comet owner James Alefantis, who had connections to Democratic operatives. -
Ping Pong in the White House
A deluge of nasty social media comments follows after conspiracy theorists on sites such as The New Nationalist and The Vigilant Citizen claim that correspondence between Alefantis & some Democratic party operatives includes secret clues. Some theories point to a photo of former Pres. Barack Obama playing ping pong with a child in the White House & a WikiLeaks email about Obama spending $65,000 flying in pizza & hot dogs from Chicago for a private White House party as further evidence -
There's No Basement
Amid the non-stop deluge of false allegations, threats and scary encounters surrounding Comet Pizza/Podesta/Clinton, Alefantis welcomes some protesters into the restaurant after answering their questions about the alleged child prostitution links they claim to have uncovered in his Instagram feed. Instagram posts in support of so-called "PizzaGate" story include pictures of alleged secret "kill rooms" and underground tunnels beneath the restaurant (there is no basement under Comet Pizza). -
Election Day 2016
Millions of Americans go to the polls to elect the 45th president of the United States. -
Hashtag PizzaGate
The Comet Pizza/child pornography ring theory starts snowballing, taking on the meme #PizzaGate. Fake news articles emerge, and are spread on mainstream social media like Twitter and Facebook. -
Underground Mayhem
.#PizzaGate continues to gain steam, as false stories appearing on the web and social media sweep up neighboring businesses and bands that had played at Comet. Discussion continues online about "kill rooms," underground tunnels, Satanism and even cannibalism taking place in the basement of the restaurant. -
Comet Shootout
On December 4, Edgar M. Welch, a 28-year-old from North Carolina, arrives at Comet Pizza with a military-style rifle and a handgun. The police say he fired the rifle inside the pizzeria, hurting no one, and surrendered after finding no evidence to support claims of child slaves being held there. -
How do you plead?
Welch pleads guilty to federal charges of assault with a dangerous weapon and transporting a firearm over state lines. -
Go to Jail!
Welch is sentenced to 4 years in prison. -
It's a Coverup
The Welch incident does not put #PizzaGate to rest. Conspiracy theorists and fake news purveyors continue to point to the mainstream media as conspirators in a coverup to protect what they say is a vast crime ring.
