SE Cupp slams Republicans who let 'pizzagate' conspiracy progress: They 'will have blood on their hands'

CNN conservative commentator SE Cupp tore into the fake news ecosystem Monday, laying the blame for this weekend’s conspiracy-driven standoff in Washington, D.C. squarely on the shoulders of Republican leaders.

Authorities say a North Carolina man fired multiple shots inside of a popular Washington, D.C. pizza restaurant Sunday. The man, 28-year old Edgar Maddison Welch, was reportedly investigating a completely fabricated story alleging Hillary Clinton ran a sex trafficking ring in the basement of the restaurant. Michael G. Flynn, son of Donald Trump’s National Security advisor retired Lt. Gen. Mike Flynn, continued to push the conspiracy theory online following Welch’s arrest.

Cupp argued that in this instance, “any republican in a position of influence or power who allows this to fester, un-rebuked—they will have blood on their hands.”

“It is incumbent on Republican—whether that’s in the Trump Organization, within the RNC, within elected office—to say this story is false, please move on. Please do not do anything based on this false story,” Cupp told CNN’s Wolf Blitzer. “The fact that so many have not is deeply concerning and allows this to grow for whatever political expedience they can benefit off of it.”

Fake news took centerstage during the 2016 election, with Trump himself baselessly floating conspiracy theories on everything from President Barack Obama’s birthplace to global climate change. Social media also helped propel false stories, including Trump’s claim that “millions” of voters illegally cast their ballots for rival Hillary Clinton.

Watch the clip below, via CNN: