Outside of perhaps Watergate, no “-gate” scandal has quite captured national attention quite like Pizzagate.
Pizzagate was a conspiracy theory that exploded online during the 2016 U.S. presidential election, alleging that a child sex-trafficking ring involving prominent Democratic officials was being run out of a Washington, D.C., pizzeria called Comet Ping Pong.
The theory grew out of hacked and leaked emails from John Podesta, Hillary Clinton’s campaign chairman, which conspiracy-minded users on forums and social media interpreted as containing coded references to abuse.
Despite repeated denials, the story spread rapidly across platforms like Reddit, Twitter, and YouTube.
The consequences turned from online rumor to real-world danger in December 2016, when a man armed with a rifle went to the restaurant to “investigate” the claims and fired shots inside. Thankfully, no one was injured.
Authorities declared there was no truth to the allegations and said the pizzeria had no connection to any trafficking operation. Pizzagate has since become a textbook example of how conspiracy theories can take on a life all their own via social media and political polarization.
All these years later, the story still hasn’t completely died off, due to critics who mock its existence and true believers who still feel that something sinister is afoot.
And the Jeffrey Epstein files appear poised to rip open this sealed pizza box anew.
As the Department of Justice has unsealed troves of documents related to the convicted sex offender, it has given countless intrepid minds the chance to dig into the files themselves.
And for the more conspiratorial-minded, a simple keyword search for “pizza” in the search bar yielded plenty of food for thought.
There are 849 results within the Epstein files when you search specifically for “pizza” — and even more details when you dig in deeper.
Reporter Tom Elliott is one such investigative mind. He uncovered an odd fascination for discussing pizza among Epstein and “his friends.”
Hellbound and Down 