A Texas judge hit the pause button on The Onion’s winning bid for Alex Jones’ Infowars network over questions about the bidding process and what the provocateur calls a “fake and rigged auction.”
The satirical news publication said the offer was sanctioned by the families of Sandy Hook Primary victims who won a $1.4 billion defamation lawsuit against Jones in 2022.
But Judge Christopher M. Lopez announced during a status conference in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Texas that the meeting would be held to discuss whether the people who ran the auction conducted “a fair process.” and complete.”
“I personally don’t care who wins the auction, I care about the process and transparency,” the judge said, adding that “no one should feel comfortable” with what happened. No date has been set for the hearing.
Jones has raged against that very process since the winning bid was announced Thursday on behalf of the satirical news site.
In two videos posted later that night, a furious Jones claimed the sale is not yet official.
‘(My lawyers) had a total consensus: they had never seen anything like this. This was a private and secret sale… basically illegal, this is a bankruptcy offense disguised as an auction that was not an auction.’
“People didn’t even pay real money, they paid some weird FIAT that wasn’t agreed upon by the judge’s order and then they had the corporate media say The Onion bought Infowars.”
Alex Jones angrily denied that his Infowars had been sold to The Onion after what he called a “fake and rigged auction” and a judge requested a hearing on the bidding process.
Judge Christopher M. Lopez announced during a status conference in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Texas that the meeting would be held to discuss whether the people who ran the auction conducted “a process fair and complete.”
He then claims that the judge told the trustee that he had not given him the authority to do that and that “it was not an auction.”
Jones says the people behind The Onion “did nothing” and called it “unprecedented,” blaming their frequent targeting in the “deep state.”
‘It’s crazy. No one understands how the federal judge, known for being strict, can’t put an end to this bogus sale, where he basically said it didn’t happen and that, at the very least, there will be a new open public auction.
He then made a promise: “Anyone who thinks Infowars was shut down is in for a rude awakening.”
Two hours later, he gave more updates on the process from Infowars studios.
“The headlines you see everywhere about The Onion buying Infowars today are not true.”
He professed his anger not only because the administrator did not accept the highest bid, but because they did not reveal who won and also did not reveal that the credit could be used in the auction.
“They bought my company in a rigged, false auction, which was not even carried out with my money that does not exist,” he said.
In two videos posted that same night, a furious Jones claimed the sale is not yet official.
In this Dec. 14, 2012, file photo, parents leave a staging area after reuniting with their children following a shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown.
He claimed there are “good guys” trying to buy Infowars (First United American Companies LLC, which operates ShopAlexJones.com) and that his lawyers have “never seen” anything like this.
Jones then accused the auction winners of having “hijacked” his website and shut down his radio and television stations.
He eventually became enraged at the Sandy Hook families, saying he had “almost never spoken to them” and says they “raised money from me” and “defaulted on me” through a show trial produced by HBO.
“These people have jumped the shark and that’s why there was a referendum against the left and lawfare, which is why Trump was elected in a landslide, despite all the fraud.”
He also complained that “outside of some of the legal sites” no one covered this aspect of the story.
“If the judge certifies this, it will be just another dark day for the rights of the people.”
In fact, Judge Lopez seemed to have legitimate concerns about how the auction was conducted.
“No one should feel comfortable with the outcome of the auction,” López said, according to Bloomberg.
Ben Collins, CEO of The Onion’s parent company, Global Tetrahedron, said he will mock “bizarre Internet personalities” like Jones who spread conspiracy theories.
Administrator Christopher Murray admitted the process seemed unorthodox but was in line with what the victims’ families wanted.
“I’ve never seen this before in any other case, and we did a lot of digging and never found it,” he said.
“But I’ve always thought my goal was to maximize recovery for unsecured creditors, and with one offer, they are clearly better than the other.”
The auction arose from Jones’ personal bankruptcy case, which he filed in late 2022 after the families won lawsuits in Connecticut and Texas over their claims that the school shooting that killed 20 children and six adults was a hoax.
Infowars will relaunch in January as a new parody of itself under the umbrella of The Onion, according to reports The New York Times.
Ben Collins, CEO of The Onion’s parent company, Global Tetrahedron, said he will mock “bizarre Internet personalities” like Jones who spread conspiracy theories.
The Onion has declined to reveal how much it paid for Infowars. The purchase includes the Infowars studio and a dietary supplements business.
“The dissolution of Alex Jones’ assets and the death of Infowars is the justice we have long hoped for and fought for,” Robbie Parker, whose daughter Emilie was killed in the 2012 shooting in Connecticut, said in a statement provided by his attorneys. .
The conspiracy theorist shared on his show Monday that depending on who buys the company, Infowars may have to close.
Bill Sherlach, husband of Mary, one of the victims of the Sandy Hook school shooting, speaks after the jury handed down a $965 million judgment against Alex Jones in 2022.
Sealed bids for the private auction opened Wednesday. Both Jones’ supporters and detractors had expressed interest in purchasing Infowars. The other bidders have not been disclosed.
The Onion, a satirical site that successfully persuades people to believe in the absurd, bills itself as “the world’s leading news publication, offering highly acclaimed and universally revered coverage of the latest national, international news events and local” and says it has 4.3 billion dollars. Daily readers.
Jones has been saying on his show that if his detractors bought Infowars, he would move his daily broadcasts and merchandise sales to a new studio, websites and social media accounts he has already created. He also said that if his followers won the bid, he would be able to remain on Infowars’ platforms.
Relatives of many of the 20 children and six educators killed in the shooting Jones and his company for defamation and emotional distress for repeatedly saying on his show that the shooting in Newtown, Connecticut, was a hoax staged by crisis actors to stimulate greater gun control.
The parents and children of many of the victims testified that they were traumatized by Jones’ conspiracies and threats from his followers.
The lawsuits were filed in Connecticut and Texas. Lawyers for the families in the Connecticut lawsuit said they worked with The Onion to try to acquire Infowars.