Psst. Hey, you. Are you a conspiracy theorist? Do you believe that global elites and wealthy politicians are manipulating world events to advance an agenda of horrific crimes, including mass sex trafficking and false flag wars?

If you are, you probably have a blog, YouTube channel, Patreon page, or some other way to monetize your beliefs. And you probably know that an easy way to bring those sweet, sweet clicks in is to tie whatever conspiracy theory you’re pontificating about to one of several obscenely wealthy international figures: Hungarian philanthropist George Soros, or titans of global banking the Rothschild family (to whom I am not related.)

That’s almost certainly the explanation for a “news” item circulating right wing clogosphere sites and Facebook groups: an explosive “story” that reveals actress and recent sex cult arrestee Allison Mack “sold children” to the Rothschild family as part of her role in the Nxivm pyramid scheme.

The Nxivm story is, of course, horrible for the innocent victims involved.

It also presses a lot of different buttons in the conservative conspiracy theory community.

First, it’s an actual conspiracy. Second, it involves high-income sex trafficking, which has become the cabal du jour thanks to #QAnon. Third, it’s got a celebrity involved, and right wingers love cutting celebs down to size (except when they’re paying deference to President Trump.) And now, thanks to this confession, it appears to have a connection to the Rothschild family, an incessant target for anti-Semitic memes, theories, and rumors.

Except it doesn’t, because Mack’s “confession” does not exist. It’s a fabrication of Your News Wire, a garbage site that’s the gold medal winner of garbage sites.

Mack has NOT confessed to “selling children” to anyone. She pleaded not guilty, and while there are reports that she might cut a deal (which seems like the smart move) she hasn’t, and might not. She’s certainly not “singing like a canary” as some #Qanon followers allege.

https://twitter.com/FedupWithSwamp/status/990684196959113219

Moreover, the “connections” to the Rothschild family are theoretical, at best, and are essentially guilt by association. Nxivm isn’t just an alleged sex cult, but a self-help multilevel marketing program that made the bulk of its money through personally and professional improvement classes.

As part of that semi-legitimate business, Nxivm drew significant investment money from two daughters of Edgar Bronfman, the billionaire late Seagrams CEO.

Bronfman had a longstanding business relationship to the Rothschild family, even starting an investment firm with Evelyn and Lynn Forester de Rothschild, the creatively titled Bronfman Rothschild.

As Your News Wire puts it “The Bronfman family has very close ties to the Rothschild banking dynasty, with members of both families belonging to many of the same companies, including their joint financial firm, Bronfman & Rothschild [sic].”

This is the only mention of the Rothschild family in the story. It is not a confession, nor is it evidence. It’s not even news. It’s standard issue conspiracy mongering, done in a way that will ensure maximum clicking and sharing from those predisposed to believe it.

Despite the fact that Your News Wire’s “story” is an obvious fabrication that is held together by nothing other than loose associations and anti-Semitic tropes, it took off among right wing websites.

And it took off because like every other conspiracy theory before it, the people who believed it wanted to believe it. People want to believe the Clintons are stone cold killers, hence the Clinton Body Count conspiracy. People want to believe the government would kill thousands of people to get us into a war in Iraq, hence the 9/11 truth movement. And on and on.

https://twitter.com/LizCrokin/status/988572081288658944

If you want to believe the Rothschilds are evil, well, here’s some evidence of what you already believe.

Mack’s exact involvement in the scheme is still coming out, as she actively recruited women for some kind of sexual coercion, but also might have been in thrall to its founder. If she does cut a deal, we’ll probably find out a lot more.

Some of it, no doubt, will be scandalous and salacious. But none of it will be “Allison Mack sold children to the Rothschilds.”

Because that didn’t happen.