#Pizzagate might have claimed its first casualty in Trump’s team

Donald Trump's transition team has confirmed that Michael Flynn Jr., the son of Trump's national security adviser, retired Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn, has lost his job. The announcement follows a series of tweets in which Flynn Jr. fanned the #Pizzagate conspiracy theory.

Flynn, 33, "was helping his father with some administration and scheduling duties early on in the transition process," Trump team spokesman Jason Miller said, adding that he is "no longer involved with the transition efforts."

In one of his tweets, Flynn Jr said: "Until #Pizzagate proven to be false, it'll remain a story. The left seems to forget #PodestaEmails and the many "coincidences" tied to it."

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Earlier this week, the #Pizzagate hoax led to a gunman firing shots inside the restaurant. The gunman, 28-year-old, Edgar Maddison Welch of Salisbury, North Carolina, was arrested after entering Comet Ping Pong armed with an assault rifle and firing a shot.

Welch claimed he was investigating conspiracy theories about Hillary Clinton and campaign chairman John Podesta running a child sex ring inside of the pizzeria.

Though the The New York Times debunked the fake news story back in November, the buzz generated on social media sites continued.

While the Trump team confirmed Flynn's departure, it didn't confirm it was related to the tweets.

Vice President-elect Mike Pence acknowledged Tuesday that the younger Flynn was helping his father with scheduling and administrative items during the presidential transition, but told CNN "that's no longer the case."

Asked repeatedly whether a security clearance was requested, Pence refused to answer directly. "Whatever the appropriate paperwork was to assist him in that regard, Jake, I'm sure was taking place," he said.

Gen. Flynn, 57, also posted fake news on social media.

Less than a week before the election, he tweeted a link to a story that falsely claimed Clinton emails contained proof of money laundering and sex crimes involving children, among other illegal activities. The incoming national security adviser called the baseless story a "must read" and instructed his followers: "U decide."

The Associated Press contributed reporting.