Heidi M. Przybyla

USA TODAY

Hillary Clinton warned Thursday about the need to “stand up for our democracy” and combat “the threat of fake news” flooding the internet, resurfacing for a second time since losing the Nov. 8 election to Donald Trump.

The defeated Democratic presidential nominee made the comments at the U.S. Capitol as part of a tribute to retiring Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada.

One danger is the “malicious threat of fake news and false propaganda that flooded social media over the past year,” said Clinton. “It’s now clear that so-called fake news can have real world consequences” including for the “lives of ordinary people,” she said. “It’s a danger that must be addressed and addressed quickly.”

During the 2016 campaign, Clinton was also the overwhelming target of fake news websites on Facebook compared to President-elect Trump, according to a Buzzfeed analysis. She identified the spread of such misinformation as a particular threat to democracy. Democrats are also calling for U.S. intelligence agencies to release more information about their findings that the Russian government played a role in hacking Democratic groups over the past several months.

Facebook has been a particularly significant source of fake news. On Sunday, a 28-year-old North Carolina man fired inside a local pizzeria while allegedly claiming to investigate a fictitious online conspiracy that it was harboring slaves as part of a child sex ring run by Clinton.

The conspiracy theory has been fanned by some supporters of Trump. In the shooting's aftermath, the campaign continued with Michael Flynn Jr., the son of retired lieutenant general Michael Flynn, Trump's pick to be national security adviser, tweeting that the so-called "pizza gate'' fabrication would "remain a story'' until "proven false.''

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In her comments, Clinton called on the private and public sector to “step up to protect our democracy and innocent lives.”

She also cited founding father Benjamin Franklin’s comments following the 1787 Constitutional Convention in which he was asked to characterize America’s new charter as a republic or a monarchy. “A republic, if you can keep it,” Clinton said, citing Franklin.

The reference is a subtle dig at the president-elect, whose critics are characterizing his actions, including targeting the media and political enemies, negotiating directly with companies and refusing to hold news conferences, as authoritarian-like.

On the need to defend the republic, Clinton said: "That’s still our charge, and it’s as urgent as it’s ever been. ... We must stand up for our democracy."

Man fires rifle in D.C. restaurant at center of fake-news conspiracy theories