A Florida family wearing 'Pizzagate'-themed shirts were among the protesters who gathered in Washington, DC, over the weekend at a rally calling for the conspiracy theory to be investigated.

About 50 people gathered in Lafayette Square near the White House on Saturday, according to the Washington Post.

Father Kori Hayes, 25, was at the rally with his wife Danielle Hayes, along with the couple's children, who are two, five, and nine years old, the newspaper said.

Kori, who sported a shirt with the slogan 'Pizzagate is not fake news,' told the Post: 'I don't have any doubt that Pizzagate is real. But nothing is being done about it.'

The 'Pizzagate' conspiracy theory is based on claims that Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton and her campaign chief John Podesta ran a child sex abuse ring at the Comet Ping Pong pizzeria in the nation's capital.

Danielle Hayes (left), her husband Kori Hayes (right) and the couple's three children all wore 'Pizzagate'-themed shirts at a DC rally on Saturday calling for the conspiracy theory to be investigated

Edgar Maddison Welch of Salisbury, North Carolina, pleaded guilty on Friday to shooting up the pizzeria Comet Ping Pong after reading fake online news stories claiming Hillary Clinton was harboring sex slaves in the basement

It started when emails belonging to Podesta were released by WikiLeaks.

The owner of the pizza shop, James Alefantis, was mentioned in the emails. He is a Democrat supporter and was talking about a fundraiser.

Some of the rumors claimed that kidnapped and trafficked children were being kept in the pizzeria's back rooms and secret tunnels where they were being molested.

There has been no evidence of the so-called abuse, no investigation and no victims who have come forward.

Danielle Hayes, 31, whose shirt featured the message 'Investigate Pizzagate,' told the Post: 'We've been watching since the [John] Podesta emails came out on Wikileaks.

'And we just followed it down the rabbit hole.'

Another person in attendance at the Saturday rally, an editor from New Hampshire named George, told the Post: 'I was a victim of childhood abuse for 12 years.

'I don't know if [PizzaGate] is legit or not, but I think it should be investigated.'

Welch fired multiple shots from an AR-15 assault rifle (similar to the one pictured) inside restaurant, after driving from his home in North Carolina. No one was injured, according to authorities

Demonstrators spoke on a stage insisting 'Pizzagate' is real, the Post said.

Earlier this week, Alex Jones of the popular website InfoWars apologized for spreading the conspiracy theory, the newspaper noted.

He said in a video posted on YouTube Friday: 'I made comments about Mr. Alefantis that in hindsight I regret, and for which I apologize to him.

'We were participating in a discussion that was being written about by scores of media outlets, in one of the most hotly contested and disputed political environments our country has ever seen.'

'We relied on third-party accounts of alleged activities and conduct at the restaurant. We also relied on accounts of reporters who are no longer with us.'

According to eyewitnesses, Welch spent 45 minutes inside the pizzeria where he was said to be looking for the secret tunnels identified in the false news stories, which has caused the restaurant to be a target of numerous threats

Jones said: 'To my knowledge today, neither Mr. Alefantis, nor his restaurant Comet Ping Pong, were involved in any human trafficking as was part of the theories about Pizzagate that were being written about in many media outlets and which we commented upon.'

Edgar Maddison Welch of Salisbury, North Carolina, pleaded guilty on Friday to shooting up Comet Ping Pong after reading fake online news stories claiming Hillary Clinton was harboring sex slaves in the basement.

Welch said during a hearing in US District Court in Washington, DC, that he had agreed to plead guilty to interstate transportation of a firearm and assault with a dangerous weapon.

On December 4, 2016, he walked into the pizzeria with an assault rifle and demanded to know the truth about the 'Pizzagate' conspiracy, claiming the former Democrat presidential candidate had abused children in the basement, a rumor which was perpetuated online by fake news sites.

Welch has also agreed to pay approximately $5,700 for damage he caused in the restaurant

The 28-year-old fired multiple shots from an AR-15 assault rifle inside restaurant, after driving there from his home in North Carolina. No one was injured, according to authorities.

As part of the guilty plea, prosecutors will drop a third charge, possessing a firearm during a crime of violence, which had carried a mandatory minimum prison term of five years.

Police said that Welch told them he was carrying out a 'self-investigation' into 'Pizzagate' - which was widely circulating on fake news sites and forums at the time.

Lawyers said in court that under sentencing guidelines Welch likely faces one-and-a-half to two years in prison as a result of the interstate transportation charge and one-and-a-half to five years for the assault charge.

WBTV in North Carolina also reported that a man with the same name ran over a black 13-year-old boy while behind the wheel of his car on October 24. The teenager survived and Welch was not arrested as a result

Sentences on the charges could run either consecutively or concurrently. Prosecutors and Welch's defense attorney did not say Friday what sentences they intend to ask for.

Welch has also agreed to pay approximately $5,700 for damage he caused in the restaurant.

Sentencing is set for June 22.

According to eyewitnesses, Welch spent 45 minutes inside the pizzeria where he was said to be looking for the secret tunnels identified in the false news stories, which has caused the restaurant to be a target of numerous threats.

Sharif Silmi, an attorney who was at the restaurant and witnessed the incident, told DailyMail.com people are now claiming he was a crisis actor who was stationed inside the venue by the government. Conspiracy theorists attacked him on Twitter when he was interviewed by a local TV station.

When Welch first entered the store, he left customers and staff terrified when he walked through the front door and through to the back of the restaurant.

Police said he pointed a gun at an employee and threatened them before they were able to escape and notify police. Several customers and employees took shelter in nearby businesses.

They added that the lone gunman then fired one or more shots into the floor. Authorities found two firearms inside the restaurant.

There was also a shotgun and a folding knife in his car parked outside. They said the incident was not terrorism related.

Owner of Comet Ping Pong James Alefantis said: 'What happened today demonstrates that promoting false and reckless conspiracy theories comes with consequences

Pictured is James Alefantis, the owner of Comet Ping Pong

WBTV in North Carolina also reported that a man with the same name ran over a black 13-year-old boy while behind the wheel of his car on October 24. The teenager survived and Welch was not arrested as a result.

Owner of Comet Ping Pong James Alefantis said: 'What happened today demonstrates that promoting false and reckless conspiracy theories comes with consequences.

'I hope that those involved in fanning these flames will take a moment to contemplate what happened here today, and stop promoting these falsehoods right away.'