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<\/a>The son of retired US Army Lieutenant General Michael Flynn has been sharing the fake theories on social media Reuters<\/p><\/div><\/p>\n
Originating on alternative message board 4chan, Trump and alt-right\u00a0supporters believe hacked emails prove theory<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n
Lucy Pasha-Robinson
\nIndependent<\/p>\n
The son of President-elect Donald Trump\u2019s national security adviser is spreading a\u00a0fake news story that claims a Washington DC pizza shop is a front for a child sex ring led by Hillary Clinton.<\/p>\n
On Sunday, the son of retired Lt Gen Michael Flynn, Michael Flynn Jr, tweeted, \u201cUntil #Pizzagate proven to be false, it’ll remain a story. The left seems to forget #PodestaEmails and the many \u2018coincidences\u2019 tied to it.\u201d<\/p>\n
It comes as 28-year-old Edgar Maddison Welch<\/a>\u00a0fired a gun in the Comet Ping Pong<\/a> restaurant to allegedly \u201cself-investigate ‘Pizza Gate’\u201d, described by police as a “fictitious conspiracy theory”.<\/p>\n http:\/\/twitter.com\/mflynnJR\/status\/805611056009768960?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw<\/p>\n Originating on alternative message board 4chan, supporters of the theory believe emails hacked from the Democratic Party and leaked by Wikileaks prove a sinister connection between restaurant owner James Alefantis and Ms Clinton.<\/p>\n However, the story has been proven to be completely fabricated, and while Mr\u00a0Alefantis admits he has some prominent Democratic friends in Washington, he denies ever meeting Ms Clinton.<\/p>\n The conspiracy centres around a child sex ring being run out of Mr Alefantis\u2019 basement, which he says\u00a0is discredited by the most basic of factual errors.<\/p>\n “They ignore basic truths. We don’t even have a basement,\u201d he has said.<\/p>\n “Sometimes an innocent picture of a child in a basket is just an innocent picture of a child in a basket and not proof of a child sex trafficking ring.\u201d<\/p>\n Allies of Mr Flynn jr, including Citizens for Trump<\/a>\u2019s special projects director, Jack Posobiec, have stood by the theory despite it being widely debunked.<\/p>\n \u201cFalse flag. Planted Comet Pizza Gunman will be used to push for censorship of independent news sources that are not corporate owned,\u201d he tweeted on Sunday.<\/p>\n Mr Flynn jr also retweeted \u201cconfirmation\u201d from Mr Posobiec that Welch, the gunman who stormed the restaurant, was an actor.<\/p>\n http:\/\/twitter.com\/JackPosobiec\/status\/805615273831239680?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw<\/p>\n For weeks, Comet Ping Pong has been plagued with messages of abuse surrounding the false allegations, worsened by the #PizzaGate hashtag gaining widespread traction on social media.<\/p>\n Last week, it announced it would be implementing increased security measures at shows hosted by the restaurant.<\/p>\n \u201cComet Ping Pong, like any respectable venue, is dedicated to creating a safe and inviting space for all of our concert-goers,\u201d a statement on the restaurant\u2019s Facebook <\/a>page reads.<\/p>\n \u201cThere have been no hostile situations at the venue, and we do not anticipate any altercations as much of the harassment has occurred online, but as a precaution we now have security and police present at every show.\u201d<\/p>\n This is not the first time Mr Flynn Jr has spread conspiratorial rhetoric via social media.<\/p>\n He also alleged top Hillary Clinton aide Huma Abedin had a connection to the Muslim Brotherhood and pushed a conspiracy theory that Sen Marco Rubio was a closeted homosexual who abused cocaine.<\/p>\n His father also tweeted the hashtag #spiritcooking on 4 November, referring to the conspiracy that Ms Clinton\u2019s former chairman John Podesta practiced satanic rituals.<\/p>\n