Fake News, Real Crimes; Police: Gunman Fired Multiple Shots in Pizza Restaurant
BLITZER: We're following a disturbing twist in one of the wilder conspiracy theories that cropped up during the presidential campaign. At the very end in fact, a fake story about Hillary Clinton, a child sex ring, and a Washington, D.C. pizza restaurant. Our justice correspondent Pamela Brown is working the story for us. Pamela, prosecutors now say a gunman fired multiple shots inside that restaurant, crowded with a lot of people.</s>PAMELA BROWN, CNN JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: That's right. Very disturbing, Wolf, police say he fired multiple rounds after pointing his rifle at an employee. No one was injured, but the armed confrontation shows the real-life consequences of online lies.</s>BROWN (voice-over): The dramatic standoff captured in these photos began moments after this man, Edgar Maddison Welch, armed with an AR- 15 semi-automatic rifle and a hand gun, walked into this popular D.C. pizza place, police say firing multiple rounds.</s>SHARIF SILMI, WITNESS: He was walking straight directly to the back room. A staff member, you know, kind of look at me and indicated that this was a gunman, and, you know, we just swiftly made our way out to the exit and got out of there.</s>BROWN: Police quickly surrounded the building, coaxing Welch outside with his hands up. Tonight, he's charged with assault with a dangerous weapon. What may be more bizarre than Welch's alleged actions are what led him there. Police say the 28-year-old was on a mission to stop a crime that had never been committed. An outlandish allegation made months ago online that Hillary Clinton and her campaign chairman were running a child sex ring in the basement of the restaurant, Comet Ping Pong. The story has been repeatedly proven to be false by police and others. The restaurant doesn't even have a basement, and the story has been traced to a series of lies and fabrications, which first circulated on underground Internet message boards during the campaign, in part, because the owner has donated to Democratic causes. The fictional story took off on Twitter and was passed around as if it were news, followed by the #pizzagate. Police say Welch told them he read online that the Comet restaurant was harboring child sex slaves and he wanted to see for himself if they were there. And that, police say, is what motivated Welch to drive more than four hours to investigate the claims.</s>JAMES ALEFANTIS, COMET PING PONG OWNER: I really hope that all of these people fanning the flames of this conspiracy will take a moment to contemplate what has gone on here today and maybe to stop.</s>BROWN: But that hasn't happened. Even after Sunday's incident, the wild conspiracy theories continue, with some online oddly suggesting Welch was an actor, and that the police standoff was a hoax. Even people connected to Donald Trump's transition team spread the baseless claim. Michael Flynn, Jr., who was the son and chief of staff to Donald Trump's incoming national security adviser, tweeted, "Until pizza-gate is proven to be false, it will remain a story. The left seems to forget Podesta e-mails and the many coincidences tied to it." In a rare move today, even the White House weighed in, saying the latest incident proves fake news stories can potentially cause real harm.</s>EARNEST: We all hold the responsibility regardless of whether or not we are planning to serve in a government position or if one of our family members is planning to serve in a government position, that we shouldn't be propagating false things that could inspire violence.</s>BROWN: The suspect appeared in court this afternoon and will stay behind bars for now. Meantime, we have reached out to the Trump transition team about Michael Flynn, Jr.'s tweet, but so far, no comment -- Wolf.</s>BLITZER: All right. Pamela, thanks very much. Pamela Brown reporting for us. David Chalian, does the Trump campaign need to respond to this?</s>CHALIAN: Well, whether they need to or not, there's an opportunity for the Trump transition team to make a forceful statement, not having anybody associated with them, retweeting or promoting fake news stories that could result in harm. This is -- this is a very easy thing. This may not be on Donald Trump's highest list of priorities to knock down fake news stories, but it is very easy to send a message from the top down that promoting these kinds of fake news stories and not sort of choking them off and destroying them and faking them totally worthless, which is what they are, so they don't gain traction is a relatively easy thing to do because they have a very large podium.</s>TOOBIN: But what if they don't want to turn them down? What if they don't want to stamp down these stories? I mean, you know, he -- Donald Trump has been the beneficiary of this alt-right lies factory for months and he got elected president of the United States. He wants to tweet about "Saturday Night Live" every Sunday, but he doesn't want to talk about all these people because he doesn't want to talk about these people, isn't that the reason?</s>BLITZER: Dana, you believe the transition -- the Trump transition needs to address this directly?</s>BASH: I agree with David that they don't need to, but they definitely should. I think, you know, Jeffrey poses a question that is troubling, and I think it's an answer that the Trump transition, Donald Trump, himself, could give if he just deals with this. You know, again, to me, it -- look, this is terrible that this happened. It is terrible when anybody propagates something that is fake to the point where they take it so seriously that they show up at a place with a gun. It is especially terrible when a guy who is not just the son of the next national security adviser but the chief of staff to the next national security adviser. National security we're talking about, says that this may not be fake. I mean, come on. I think it's because of that that was there was a responsibility inside the Trump transition to say that that's wrong.</s>BLITZER: The son -- Michael Flynn Jr., he does have a transition email, if you will. Do you think they need to respond?</s>SWERDLICK: I think they should respond. I agree with what everybody said. The only thing I would add, you would think you wouldn't need to say this, but I think it's worth saying, is if this story were true, if pizza-gate were true, it's not true. But if it were true, it still would be no excuse for someone to show up at a pizza place with a gun. It's</s>BLITZER: Jeffrey, is there a legal issue here spreading these fake stories that, a legal issue, a legal requirement, if you will, that has been crossed?</s>TOOBIN: You know, I think there actually may be. You know, the time may well have come that the operators of this pizza place who have been maligned so unfairly could start suing people. I mean, there are organized groups that are sustaining these lies and the libel laws apply to the Internet the way they apply to newspapers. So, yes, I think it is a civil matter potentially, not a criminal matter, but when you damage someone's reputation intentionally with false stories, that can be libelous and I think there could well be grounds for lawsuits and it may well be appropriate at this point.</s>BLITZER: Yes, I suspect, David Chalian, we may see some lawsuits like that. The question is, will that have a chilling effect on these fake stories?</s>CHALIAN: Right. I mean, that's something we should watch as this proceeds. Clearly, the owner of that establishment made clear that he doesn't want to back down from this fight in any way. So, perhaps those lawsuits are forthcoming.</s>BLITZER: All right, everybody, stay with us. Don't go too far away. Just ahead, there's another important story we're following. The probe into a deadly California warehouse fire. It is now a criminal investigation. We have new information right after this.