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Megyn Kelly expressed disbelief, horror, and sympathy in an exclusive first interview with Comet Ping Pong owner James Alefantis following the Pizzagate scare that erupted two weeks ago.
Alefantis and the staff of his restaurant were targeted by a gunman after a viral fake news story suggested Bill and Hillary Clinton ran a child sex ring out of their D.C. pizza parlor; no
one was injured.
"When people talk about fake news, you know, a lot of folks just roll their eyes, like 'oh, you know, whatever, people will figure it out.' The truth is, they don't always figure it out,"
Kelly told Alefantis. "And someone could have been killed inside of your restaurant for no good reason other than people like Alex Jones fanned a conspiracy theory that even the D.C. police
say has no basis in fact."
"This has real consequences," Alefantis agreed. "My staff lives in fear. My staff are the bravest people I've ever met … Imagine someone coming to your work place with an assault rife."
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Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has
appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.