The claim that big names like Elon Musk, Donald Trump, Jr., and Dinesh D’Souza have promoted to millions of their followers: Paul Pelosi and the man who attacked him were gay lovers who had gotten into a fight.“As a matter of fact, the evidence indicates the exact opposite.” But the explosion of social media posts discussing the theory shows how quickly conspiracies can spread, and how eagerly some political actors use falsehoods to push their agendas – even as violent threats against lawmakers have multiplied in recent years.A conspiracy linked to Nancy Pelosi, who has long been a lightning rod for conservatives and played a starring role in GOP attack ads, was an especially appealing target for right-wing conspiracists, according to Cynthia Miller-Idriss, an American University professor who studies polarization and extremism.According to the complaint, DePape said that he wanted to hold Nancy Pelosi hostage because he viewed her as the “‘leader of the pack’ of lies told by the Democratic Party,” and claimed he was “fighting against tyranny without the option of surrender.” Scott, the San Francisco chief, called the conspiracies surrounding the attack “pathetic” and “disturbing.” “We’ve spent a lot of energy just pushing back, really ridiculous conspiracy theories, to make sure people stay focused on our team,” he said.Other conservative figures like Donald Trump, Jr., Sebastian Gorka, and Dinesh D’Souza followed suit over the next few days, either explicitly endorsing the theory or referencing it approvingly."