On December 4, 2016, Edgar Maddison Welch drove 360 miles from North Carolina to Washington, DC, where he entered the front door of a pizzeria called Comet Ping Pong. Armed with a 9-mm AR-15 rifle, a Colt revolver, and a shotgun, he walked through the restaurant. At one point, he tried using a butter knife to pry open a locked door, then fired several rounds from his rifle into the lock. Behind the door was a small computer-storage closet. 

Welch traveled to Washington because of a conspiracy claiming that Hillary Clinton was running a child sex ring out of the basement of Comet Ping Pong. However, the restaurant has no basement. When Welch realized that Comet Ping Pong was just a pizza shop, he set down his firearms, walked out the door, and surrendered to police. 

Welch has been described as a dedicated father, a devout Christian, and a man who went out of his way to care for others. He had trained as a volunteer firefighter and went on an earthquake-response mission to Haiti with the local Baptist Men’s Association. 

When he went on trial, he wrote a note to the judge stating, “It was never my intention to harm or frighten innocent lives, but I realize now just how foolish and reckless my decision was.” He was sentenced to four years in prison. 

What is QAnon? 

The idea that a cabal of powerful elites is abusing children and getting away with it is part of a movement known as QAnon. This is the name for the family of conspiracy theories promoted by Q (or “Q Clearance Patriot”) as well as the community of supporters who promote and advance these theories. 

The name is derived from “Q,” a mysterious figure (supposedly a military official) who began posting anonymously online. “Q”…