In a new statement, Elon Musk, the billionaire and owner of SpaceX, Tesla, and X, posted a meme on his social media platform X referencing the infamous right-wing conspiracy theory “Pizzagate,” suggesting that the theory seems “somewhat suspicious.” This comes just a week after he faced criticism for supporting an anti-Semitic post.
Main Facts
Musk posted a meme on X referencing the conspiracy theory “Pizzagate,” which falsely claims that Bill and Hillary Clinton and other prominent Democrats run a child sex trafficking ring out of a pizza parlor in Washington, D.C. This debunked theory gained traction among extremist right-wing circles prior to the 2016 presidential election and led to a gunman storming the pizza parlor in the city.
The meme, which references a scene from the TV show “The Office,” claims that this conspiracy theory is “real” and involves “trafficked children,” and that an expert who debunked the theory “went to jail for child pornography.”
Musk shared the meme with the comment: “Seems at least somewhat suspicious.” He then remarked on a link to a news article published by the Associated Press in July about former ABC News investigative journalist James Gordon Meek pleading guilty to child pornography charges.
Main Background
According to the “Pizzagate” conspiracy theory, the Clinton family concealed a child exploitation ring at the “Comet Ping Pong” restaurant in Washington, D.C., where it is alleged that the Clintons trafficked and abducted children. This thoroughly debunked theory began in 2016 after WikiLeaks published emails from Hillary Clinton’s 2016 presidential campaign chairman, mentioning the name of the pizza parlor owner, James Alefantis. The theory then spread when users on the 4Chan platform posted images from Alefantis’s social media accounts, including photos of children and an unfinished basement, and these posts went viral on other social media sites. As the theory evolved, Alefantis began receiving death threats and calls to burn down the restaurant, according to a Reuters report. In December 2016, a 28-year-old man named Edgar Madison Welch was arrested for entering the restaurant with an AR-15 assault rifle, claiming he was there to investigate the child exploitation ring. Welch was sentenced to four years in prison in 2017 for transporting a firearm across state lines and assault with a deadly weapon.
Musk’s fortune is estimated at around $241.9 billion, making him the richest person in the world by a significant margin compared to Bernard Arnault, owner of the LVMH group, whose net worth is $184.9 billion.
Leave a Reply