Alex Jones ordered to pay Sandy Hook parents more than $4M
A Texas jury on Thursday ordered conspiracy theorist Alex Jones to pay more than $4 million in compensatory damages to the parents of a 6-year-old boy who was killed in the Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre, marking the first time the Infowars host has been held financially liable for repeatedly claiming the deadliest school shooting in U.S. history was a hoax. The Austin jury must still decide how much the Infowars host must pay in punitive damages to Neil Heslin and Scarlett Lewis, whose son Jesse Lewis was among the 20 children and six educators who were killed in the 2012 attack in Newtown, Connecticut. The parents had sought at least $150 million in compensation for defamation and intentional infliction of emotional distress. Jones’ attorney asked the jury to limit damages to $8 — one dollar for each of the compensation charges they are considering — and Jones himself said any award over $2 million “would sink us.” It likely won’t be the last judgment against Jones over his claims that the attack was staged in the interests of increasing gun controls. A Connecticut judge has ruled against him in a similar lawsuit brought by other victims’ families and an FBI agent who worked on the case. The Texas award could set a marker for other cases against Jones and underlines the financial threat he’s facing. It also raises new questions about the ability of Infowars — which has been banned from YouTube, Spotify, and Twitter for hate speech — to continue operating, although the company’s finances remain unclear. Jones, who has portrayed the lawsuit as an attack on his First Amendment rights, conceded during the trial that the attack was “100% real” and that he was wrong to have lied about it. But Heslin and Lewis told jurors that an apology wouldn’t suffice and called on them to make Jones pay for the years of suffering he has put them and other Sandy Hook families through. The parents testified Tuesday about how they’ve endured a decade of trauma, inflicted first by the murder of their son and what followed: gunshots fired at a home, online and phone threats, and harassment on the street by strangers. They said the threats and harassment were all fueled by Jones and his conspiracy theory spread to his followers via his website Infowars. A forensic psychiatrist testified that the parents suffer from “complex post-traumatic stress disorder” inflicted by ongoing trauma, similar to what might be experienced by a soldier at war or a child abuse victim. At one point in her testimony, Lewis looked directly at Jones, who was sitting barely 10 feet away. “It seems so incredible to me that we have to do this — that we have to implore you, to punish you — to get you to stop lying,” Lewis told Jones. Jones was the only witness to testify in his defense. And he came under withering attack from the plaintiff’s attorneys under cross-examination, as they reviewed Jones’ own video claims about Sandy Hook over the years, and accused him of lying and trying to hide evidence, including text messages and emails about the attack. It also included internal emails sent by an Infowars employee that said, “this Sandy Hook stuff is killing us.” At one point, Jones was told that his attorneys had mistakenly sent Mark Bankston, who is representing Heslin and Lewis, the last two years’ worth of texts from Jones’ cellphone. Bankston said in court Thursday that the U.S. House January 6 committee investigating the 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol has requested the records and that he intends to comply. And shortly after Jones declared, “I don’t use email,” Jones was shown one that came from his address, and another one from an Infowars business officer telling Jones that the company had earned $800,000 gross in selling its products in a single day, which would amount to nearly $300 million in a year. Jones’ media company Free Speech Systems, which is Infowars’ parent company, filed for bankruptcy during the two-week trial. Republished with the permission of The Associated Press.
Records show fervent Donald Trump fans fueled US Capitol takeover
They came from across America, summoned by President Donald Trump to march on Washington in support of his false claim that the November election was stolen and to stop the congressional certification of Democrat Joe Biden as the victor. “Big protest in D.C. on January 6th,” Trump tweeted a week before Christmas. “Be there, will be wild!” The resulting takeover and looting of the U.S. Capitol building by an armed mob of Trump supporters shook the foundations of American democracy and resulted in five deaths. Trump could become the first president in history to face impeachment for a second time. But within hours of Wednesday’s violent attack, some of Trump’s most ardent supporters sought to shift blame to left-wing Antifa thugs they claimed without evidence had disguised themselves with red MAGA hats and Trump flags. “If the reports are true,” Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., said on the House floor Wednesday night, “some of the people who breached the Capitol today were not Trump supporters. They were masquerading as Trump supporters and, in fact, were members of the violent terrorist group antifa.” Gaetz’s assertion, which he said was based on a story in the conservative Washington Times newspaper that was later retracted as false, was met with a chorus of jeers and boos. But in the following days, several pro-Trump politicians and Fox News hosts repeated the conspiracy theory. The Associated Press reviewed social media posts, voter registrations, court files, and other public records for more than 120 people either facing criminal charges related to the Jan. 6 unrest or who, going maskless amid the pandemic, were later identified through photographs and videos taken during the melee. That evidence shows the mob was overwhelmingly made up of longtime Trump supporters, including Republican Party officials, GOP political donors, far-right militants, white supremacists, and adherents of the QAnon myth that the government is secretly controlled by a cabal of Satan-worshiping pedophile cannibals. Records show the rowdy crowd also included convicted criminals, including a Florida man recently released from prison for attempted murder. Many had taken to social media after the November election to retweet and parrot false claims by Trump that the vote had been stolen in a vast international conspiracy. Several had openly threatened violence against Democrats and Republicans they considered insufficiently loyal to the president. As the mob smashed through doors and windows to invade the Capitol, a loud chant went up calling for the hanging of Vice President Mike Pence, the recent target of a Trump Twitter tirade for not subverting the Constitution and overturning the legitimate vote tally. Outside, a wooden scaffold had been erected on the National Mall, a rope noose dangling at the ready. So far, at least 90 people have been arrested on charges ranging from misdemeanor curfew violations to felonies related to assaults on police officers, possessing illegal weapons, and making death threats against House Speaker Nancy Pelosi D-Calif. Among them was Lonnie Leroy Coffman, 70, an Alabama grandfather who drove to Washington to attend Trump’s “Save America Rally” in a red GMC Sierra pickup packed with an M4 assault rifle, multiple loaded magazines, three handguns, and 11 Mason jars filled with homemade napalm, according to court filings. The truck was found during a security sweep involving explosives-sniffing dogs after two pipe bombs were found and disarmed Wednesday near the national headquarters of the Republican and Democratic parties. Coffman was arrested that evening when he returned to the truck carrying a 9mm Smith & Wesson handgun and a .22-caliber derringer pistol in his pockets. Federal officials said Coffman is not suspected of planting the pipe bombs, though he was charged with having Molotov cocktails in the bed of his truck. His grandson, Brandon Coffman, told the AP on Friday his grandfather was a Republican who had expressed admiration for Trump at holiday gatherings. He said he had no idea why Coffman would show up in the nation’s capital armed for civil war. Also facing federal charges is Cleveland Gover Meredith Jr., a Georgia man who in the wake of the election had protested outside the home of Republican Gov. Brian Kemp, whom Trump had publicly blamed for his loss in the state. Meredith drove to Washington last week for the “Save America” rally but arrived late because of a problem with the lights on his trailer, according to court filings that include expletive-laden texts. “Headed to DC with a (s—-) ton of 5.56 armor-piercing ammo,” he texted friends and relatives on Jan. 6, adding a purple devil emoji, according to court filings. The following day, he texted to the group: “Thinking about heading over to Pelosi (C——’s) speech and putting a bullet in her noggin on Live TV.” He once again added a purple devil emoji, and wrote he might hit her with his truck instead. “I’m gonna run that (C—-) Pelosi over while she chews on her gums. … Dead (B——) Walking. I predict that within 12 days, many in our country will die.” Meredith, who is white, then texted a photo of himself in blackface. “I’m gonna walk around DC FKG with people by yelling ‘Allahu ak Bar’ randomly.” A participant in the text exchange provided screenshots to the FBI, who tracked Meredith to a Holiday Inn a short walk from the Capitol. They found a compact Tavor X95 assault rifle, a 9mm Glock 19 handgun, and about 100 rounds of ammunition, according to court filings. The agents also seized a stash of THC edibles and a vial of injectable testosterone. Meredith is charged with transmitting a threat, as well as felony counts for possession of firearms and ammunition. Michael Thomas Curzio was arrested in relation to the riots less than two years after he was released from a Florida prison in 2019 after serving an eight-year sentence for attempted murder. Court records from Florida show that he shot the boyfriend of his former girlfriend in a fight at her home. Federal law enforcement officials vowed Friday to bring additional charges against those who carried
Donald Trump escalates war on Twitter, social media protections
Announced with fanfare, the president’s action yet appeared to be more about politics than substance.
Roger Stone judge calls back jurors to address misconduct claims
The revelation by U.S. District Court Judge Amy Berman Jackson was another highly unusual twist in the Stone saga.
Donald Trump says he ‘won’t let’ social media target conservatives
President Donald Trump is accusing social media companies of “totally discriminating against Republican/Conservative voices” and says “we won’t let that happen.” Trump’s Saturday morning tweets come as companies have been working to ban right-wing “Infowars” conspiracy theorist Alex Jones from their platforms. Apple, YouTube and Spotify have permanently removed some of his content, Facebook has suspended him for 30 days and removed some of his pages, while Twitter has given Jones a weeklong timeout and is mulling deeper changes to try to limit the spread of fake news, misinformation and hate speech. Trump did not mention Jones by name in his tweets, which complained that, “Too many voices are being destroyed, some good & some bad.” Trump appeared on Jones’ program during the 2016 campaign and praised his “amazing” reputation. Republished with the permission of the Associated Press.
Newtown schools ask Donald Trump to reject conspiracy theorists
Members of the Newtown Board of Education hoped a newly elected President Donald Trump would speak out against a famous conspiracy theorist and others who question the Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre. Two months later, they have yet to receive a response. The school board sent a one-page letter in February, asking Trump to denounce the lies because the comments of those who deny what happened are still hurting the community, said Keith Alexander, board chairman. The letter singled out Alex Jones, a radio host whose “Infowars” programming has alleged the massacre was a hoax. As a candidate, Trump voiced admiration for Jones during a December 2015 interview, telling Jones: “Your reputation is amazing. I will not let you down.” The school board wrote to Trump: “We are asking you to intervene to try to stop Jones and other hoaxers like him,” urging him to “clearly and unequivocally” recognize that 20 children and six adults were killed at the school more than four years ago. In response to questions from The Associated Press about the school board’s letter, the White House said: “President Trump has been quite clear that we, as a nation, are united in condemning hate and evil in all its forms.” Messages were left seeking comment with Jones through the Infowars website and the radio network that produces his show. Alexander said the school board had not heard back from Trump as of this week. “I do hope that we will receive a direct response at some point,” he said. In the days following the mass shooting, Trump used Twitter to express condolences to the Newtown families, saying it was “heartbreaking ” to see the photos of the young Sandy Hook victims and saying “it was a horrible day for Newtown, CT and our country.” Since the shooting on Dec. 14, 2012, several victims’ relatives have been accosted or harassed by conspiracy theorists, including some who say it was staged to erode support for gun rights. The question of how to address conspiracy theorists has been a sensitive one in Newtown. Many don’t want to talk about it publicly, fearing it will stir up more provocations. One parent whose child was killed at Sandy Hook, and who spoke on the condition of anonymity out of the fear of harassment, said many victims’ families opposed the letter being sent to Trump for that reason. Leonard Pozner, whose 6-year-old son Noah was killed in the shooting, once had a caller leave a voicemail message telling him: “You gonna die, death is coming to you real soon.” A Florida woman has been criminally charged in connection with voicemail and email threats to Pozner. A man accused of approaching the sister of slain Sandy Hook teacher Victoria Soto and angrily claiming the massacre hadn’t happened was sentenced a year ago to two years of probation. A Newtown teacher told a court in September that he had brought a weapon to school because he feared for his safety after receiving threats from conspiracy theorists. Pozner said he doubts the school board’s appeal to Trump will do much to sway anybody who believes the shooting that killed his son was some kind of hoax. “I don’t think the president can do anything about this conspiracy theory, even if he wanted to,” Pozner said. “The origin of conspiracy theories is a mistrust of government.” While he believes there is little any government official can do, Pozner has been working since 2015 to keep conspiracy theories from gaining such prominence on the internet. His HONR Network encourages the public to contact advertisers on Google and social networks to raise awareness of how ad revenue is being used to support false news. Alexander said the school board sent the letter in hope that it would help. “The town of Newtown suffered a tragedy that brought with it more than its own direct consequences and the comments of those who deny the events only further harm our community,” he said. “I believe the board of education action was intended to limit further harm from that behavior.” Republished with permission of The Associated Press.
