Was Alex Jones Appointed House Press Secretary.
InfoWars host and conspiracy theorist Alex Jones has been named
the White House press secretary.
Like this fact check?
Support Independent Journalism In June 2017, conspiracy theorist Alex Jones
wound up being the subject of a recycled piece of satire in his own right.
The Babylon Bee, which promotes itself as a faith-based satirical blog, published a
post “reporting” that Jones had been named White House press secretary, complete with
a mocked-up photograph of the Infowars broadcaster in a suit: The post read
in part: “I am the new Press Secretary!
he bellowed in his distinct Texas growl at all the reporters present, occasionally
taking a handkerchief out of his pocket to dab perspiration from his red face.
AAAAAaaaaaaAAAAAAHHHHH.
he continued, beating chest like a gorilla.
We’re comin’ for ya globalists!
1776 will commence, wicked, wicked devils.
he added, before mumbling about gay frogs.
While the Babylon Bee carries a disclaimer identifying its content as satirical,
the post was picked up by a separate satirical blog, the Nevada County Scooper,
to the extent that some readers treated it as a legitimate news story: The stories
went out months after Jones claimed — falsely — that he had been offered
press credentials to the White House.
As Buzzfeed reported at the time: Jones, an ardent Trump supporter has been called
“America’s leading conspiracy theorist” and is a prominent 9/11 and Sandy Hook truther.
His false suggestion that he’s been offered White House press credentials
comes on the heels of reports that the Trump administration is planning to open
the briefing room to alternative outlets.
The Scooper’s publisher, who went by the name Randall “Fink” Finkelstein
III online, announced in January 2018 that the blog would be shuttered.
However, Jones’ real-life disinformation to have repercussions, including for him.
Jones’ claims that the 2012 mass shooting attack at Sandy Hook Elementary in
Connecticut was fabricated led him to be sued by Neil Heslin and Scarlett
Lewis, two of the parents bereaved by the attack, which left 26 people
dead — twenty of whom were children.
On August 3 2022, Jones admitted under that the shooting was “100 percent real.
That same day, an attorney for the plaintiffs revealed that he had received
a digital archive of two years’ worth of Jones’ text messages from his attorneys.
Do you know what perjury is.
attorney Mark Bankston asked Jones.
Footage of Jones reacting to that news circulated widely online: During the
defamation trial proceedings of Alex Jones, a lawyer for the parents of one
of the children killed in the Sandy Hook School massacre said “12 days ago,
[Jones’] attorneys messed up and sent me a digital copy of every text” and email
from the phone of the Infowars host.
pic.twitter.com/44xAU7goFR — NBC News (@NBCNews) August 3, 2022 Within hours
after the existence of the text messages came to light, Rolling Stonereported
that the House committee probing the January 2021 coup attempt at the U.S.
Capitol is preparing to request records as part of its investigation.
As the Daily Dot reported in October 2022, more unflattering footage of
Jones surfaced online: The video is a supercut that appears to show Alex Jones
consuming at least a bottle of alcohol over the course of a day, routinely
going to a closet where he either drinks something from a bottle, adds something
to a cup, or walks off with something.
For instance, the video — which has been posted on YouTube as well as ther video
hosting platforms — includes footage of Jones drinking with the caption “Day 4 — 5th Open
Bottle”: According to the Daily Dot, a file listed alongside the video (titled “Don’t Spy
on Your Employees”) is hosted on a site “that appears to be run” by someone claiming to be
a “groyper” — a term for a particular subset of online white nationalists and other far
right activists.
Connecticut’s Hartford Courantreported on October 5 2022 that Jones declined to
put on a defense in a separate defamation case in Connecticut for his attacks
against bereaved Sandy Hook families.
Jones then reportedly filed a post-trial motion seeking to limit
the amount of money the families can recover from him in damages.
Instead, he was ordered on October 12 2022 pay $965 million to the bereaved family.
On November 10 2022, Judge Barabara ordered him to pay another $473 million.
Jones has already claimed on his show that he will not comply with the orders because
he cannot afford to make those payments.
However, Bellis also blocked him from transferring, shedding, or
moving any assets outside of the U.S.
The Washington Post reported on November 21 2022: Between August 2020 and November
2021, Free Speech Systems signed promissory notes — essentially IOUs — for $55 million
to cover what it said were past debts to a company called PQPR Holdings that Jones owns
with his parents, according to financial records filed in court by Jones’ attorneys.
PQPR, which is managed by Jones’s father, a dentist, had bought tens of millions of
dollars in supplements for Jones that he then sold on his show, the records say.
A lawyer for Free Speech Systems has said in court that the debt accrued
unnoticed due to sloppy bookkeeping.
According to the Post, testimony also showed that in 2022 Jones paid his
personal trainer $100000 a week “to help ship supplements and other merchandise.
Jones’ sister also reportedly a company paid another $240000.
Attorneys for the bereaved families said that Jones started moving money
out of Free Speech Systems in response to mounting difficulties in court.
In the middle of this lawsuit, they started documenting debts that had no
evidence of existing beforehand,” said one of the attorneys, Avi Moshenberg.
Jones’ legal issues continued to mount on November 22 2022, when a Texas
judge rejected his attempt to limit the amount of damages he should be forced
to pay two other bereaved Sandy Hook parents, Neil Heslin and Scarlett Lewis.
Instead, Judge Maya Guerra Gamble ruled that Jones should be forced to pay them
an additional $45.2 million, separate from the $1 billion in damages Jones owes
the plaintiffs in the Connecticut case.
Jones and his attorney claim will appeal Gamble’s ruling.
Update 8/3/2022, 4:04 p.m. PST: article has been revamped and updated.
You can review the original here.
ag Update 10/5/2022, 11:24 a.m. PST: Updated to reflect new allegations
against Jones and the apparent conclusion of his 2022 trial for defamation. —
ag Update 11/10/2022, 12:19 p.m.
PST: Updated to reflect orders that Alex Jones pay more than $1 billion to
the bereaved Sandy Hook families. —
ag Update 11/21/2022, 12:21 p.m. PST: Updated to reflect alleged financial
activity involving Jones and companies he owns as well as his family and allies.
PST: Updated to reflect a Texas judge’s ruling holding Jones responsible for paying
$45 million to two other plaintiffs. —
ag.