Right-wing conspiracy theorist Alex Jones immediately went on the air and begged for cash after eight Sandy Hook families and one first responder were awarded $965 million.
Far-right talk show host Alex Jones should pay eight families of Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting victims and one first responder $965 million in compensatory damages, a Connecticut jury decided Wednesday, capping a wrenching weeks-long trial that put on display the serious harm inflicted by the conspiracy theorist’s lies.
With its punishing award, the decision could shrink or even doom Jones’ Infowars media empire, which has been at the center of major conspiracy theories dating back to former President George W. Bush’s administration and was embraced by President Donald Trump.
Here was Jones after the verdict:
Watching the Sandy Hook verdict live from his studio, Alex Jones makes an urgent plea to his audience for cash, and tells them that none of the money they send him will go the the families because he has filed for bankruptcy. pic.twitter.com/H658p5Sjiw
— Ron Filipkowski 🇺🇦 (@RonFilipkowski) October 12, 2022
Jones pulled a page out of Trump’s playbook and told his fans that they needed to fight the fraud by giving him money because they have two years of appeals on this verdict, so none of the money that his fans donate will go to the Sandy Hook families.
Alex Jones could be doomed.
The two awards that have come in so far are more than a billion dollars. There are still two more cases where damages have yet to be determined. It is possible that Alex Jones could end up owing multiple billions of dollars, and he can’t hold off the Sandy Hook families forever.
Mr. Easley is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.
Awards and Professional Memberships
Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association
