Alex Jones’ second Sandy Hook defamation trial is currently heating up in Connecticut, as the embattled InfoWars host is set to soon take the stand to address comments he made that questioned the tragedy.
Arriving at the Waterbury courthouse Wednesday, Jones engaged in a full-scale meltdown outside the judicial building, asserting that he’s apologized for the comments for years and that they should be protected by the First Amendment.
‘As an American, I have a right to question something,’ Jones told reporters outside the court, growing increasingly red-faced as he made his statement. ‘I did say things that were hurtful and not true,’ he admitted. ‘As an American, I have a right.’
The spiel from the right-wing radio personality – who ballooned to pseudo-stardom during the 2016 election – also saw him accuse prosecutors of using his trial ‘to go after the First Amendment.’
The claim seemed to contradict previous assertions from Jones that liberals had been using the shooting to try to repeal the Second Amendment, not the First.
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Arriving for court in Connecticut Wednesday, embattled InfoWars host Alex Jones engaged in a full-scale meltdown outside the judicial building, asserting that he’s apologized for the comments for years and that they should be protected by the First Amendment
Jones, who reaches an audience of millions through his Texas-based program, spent years claiming on-air that the Newtown, Connecticut, shooting was a hoax – and was found liable for those claims by Judge Barbara Bellis earlier this month.
Last year, a Texas judge ordered pay more than $50million to the parents of one of 20 kids who died in the mass shooting by a Texas judge.
The current hearing, meanwhile – which is now in its sentencing stage – is being held to determine how much he should pay relatives of eight other victims and an FBI agent who responded to the scene of the 2012 massacre.
A Connecticut jury of three men and three women, meanwhile, will determine the exact amount Jones and InfoWars owes to relatives of the 26 killed in the shooting, which Jones had said was carried out by ‘crisis actors.’ He is set to testify Thursday.
‘I have apologized for six years for anything I did wrong, questioning Sandy Hook,’ Jones, 48, said during his tirade, ending up red-faced and out-of-breath at points.
‘I didn’t question Sandy Hook to be mean, I wasn’t the leader of question for Sandy Hook, but I did say things that were hurtful and not true, but I did not do it on purpose.’
Jones went on reiterate pervious assertions that he has already apologized for his comments, which he has said were products of journalism and not intentionally malicious – all while growing increasingly irate.
‘I apologized four years ago on Joe Rogan – it’s got over 100million views,’ Jones told reporters. ‘But the corporate media constantly says that, “Oh, for the first time, he apologizes,”‘ quoting what he likely perceived the general public’s perception of his persecution, sarcastically putting the sentiment in air quotes.
‘I apologized on Steven Crowder three years ago,’ Jones went on, referring to a 2019 appearance on another right-wing web show.
‘Six years ago,’ he went on, ‘I said, “I believe Sandy Hook happened.”
‘When I became extremely famous during the Trump campaign, Hillary Clinton ran $30million of national ads saying I was Trump’s “brain,” Jones continued, repeating claims that he been targeted by the left for repeatedly speaking out against them.
‘Look, I like President Trump overall,’ Jones said, ‘but I was not his brain.’ He added of the former president: ‘He doesn’t listen to anybody but himself.’
The outspoken conspiracy theorist went on to downplay his influence among the political right, suggesting that his comments should not hold nearly as much weight as the media currently suggests.
Jones, who reaches an audience of millions through his Texas-based program, spent years claiming on-air that the Newtown, Connecticut , shooting was a hoax – and was found liable for those claims by Judge Barbara Bellis earlier this month. The trial is now in its sentencing stage
‘Them Democrats believe that I run the Republican Party – I don’t,’ Jones said outside the court, as prosecutors called three relatives of victims slain in the shooting to testify against him.
‘They believe that I’m, like, this Lex Luthor mastermind that controls everything – I don’t,’ Jones said, growing increasingly emotional. ‘I basically don’t even control my own life.’
The conservative talking head went on to tout the journalistic integrity of his longtime show InfoWars, while chalking up his false comments concerning the Sandy Hook as an oversight. He also claimed the remarks should be protected by the First Amendment.
‘I’m just simply here to say: I’m not the Sandy Hook man,’ Jones said, raising his voice and growing increasingly animated.
‘I said I was sorry years and years ago, I’ve already tried to make restitution,;
Jones went on to claim that despite being declared guilty by Bellis back in 2021, his team did provide the court with evidence for discovery – a dubious assertion when considering the court’s actions, and Jones’ history with conspiracy theories.
‘We gave the court all of the discovery,’ Jones exclaimed, appearing erratic at points. ‘They defaulted us because they did not find any evidence of premeditated “master plans” with Sandy Hook and all this garbage,’ he explained further.
Jones is pictured arriving outside court in Connecticut Wednesday, where he was set to take the stand to attest to his innocence. He will instead speak tomorrow, after testimony from relatives of slain Sandy Hook victims took up most of the hearing
‘That’s not true. I’ve taken responsibility for the mistakes I’ve made.’
He continued: We have about a 95 percent accuracy rate on so many other subjects, I do question a lot of things, I’m more careful these days.’
The InfoWars host went on to assert that ‘as an American, I have a right to question something.’
He quickly added: ‘Now, if that becomes hurtful to individuals and causes them pain, that certainly is a problem – and I have admitted to that.’
Jones closed his spiel by saying members of the media – as well as the political left – were using him as a scapegoat for the tragedy, echoing previous claims he has made in court and in public.
The claim comes with some contention, as Jones had previously accused the media of using the massacre as a means to repeal the Second Amendment, not the First.
‘So that’s where we stand,’ Jones said. ‘They are using this case to go after the First Amendment. Sandy Hook was used against the Second Amendment – the right to bear arms – and now it is being used to go after the First Amendment, and that’s terrible.’
Jones went on to equate his persecutors to ‘a lynch mob,’ whom he said has had him in their sights ‘ever since Trump was elected.’
Jones launched into a heated tirade outside the courthouse where he is being sued for defamation, after branding the presiding judge a ‘tyrant’ and accusing her of attempting to coax a guilty plea out of him
‘They looked at everything I’ve done and decided Sandy Hook was one of the biggest mistakes I’ve made,’ Jones said, before adding, ‘Nobody’s perfect.’
He continued: ‘They blew up what I said and did, twisted it, and took it out of context, and then said that I’m famous and successful because of Sandy Hook.
‘Now, I said somethings that weren’t right, that were hurtful – and I’m sorry for that, and I apologize for the 500th time.
‘But that said, these lawyers, have misrepresented everything I’ve said and did, and everything that I stand for. And that’s why I’m here today and I appreciate you all coming out,’ he finished, before taking some of the crowd’s questions.
Jones was already found guilty in the case by the presiding Judge Barbara Bellis late last year, after the jurist dished out a default judgement when Jones’s team reportedly refused present their evidence prior to going to trial.
Jones has since branded the judge – who is currently presiding over the proceedings – a ‘tyrant,’ and has accused her and the mass media of attempting to set him up as a straw man for the mass shooting, coaxing a guilty plea out of him.
Jones was already found guilty in the case by the presiding Judge Barbara Bellis l ate last year, after the jurist dished out a default judgement when Jones’s team reportedly refused present their evidence prior to going to trial
Jones was set to testify to the plaintiffs’ legal team Wednesday, but saw his testimony pushed back to Thursday morning.
During proceedings Wednesday, jurors were shown how Jones’s audience grew exponentially following his comments on the tragedy, which saw him garner national attention and saw his company revenues increase dramatically.
Prosecutors also showed Jones’s egregious claims about the shooting, including when he mocked the parents of victims as ‘crisis actors’ and displayed completely false information about the events of the day.
Two parents of children killed as well as the daughter of the school’s slain principal testified Wednesday tp the fear and pain they have suffered as a result of Jones’ comments.
All said they were targeted with threats by those who believed Jone’s repeated on-air declarations that the shooting was a hoax.
The three witnesses, David Wheeler, Jennifer Hensel, and Erica Lafferty, are among eight suing Jones for promoting the conspiracy on his media platforms, including InfoWars.
Jones was not allowed in the courtroom during their testimony.
David Wheeler, father of Sandy Hook victim Benjamin Wheeler, stopp=ed to wipe tears away as he testified against Jones during his defamation damages trial Wednesday. Jones was not allowed in the courtroom during their testimony
The day prior, Jones also appeared outside the courthouse to make another series of brief statements to reporters, which saw him refer to Judge Bellis as ‘a tyrant’.
Reporters expected to make a similar statement outside the court at lunchtime today, but were instead greeted with his rant about the media.
Jurors will decide how much the embattled conservatives should pay relatives of eight victims and the FBI agent who responded to the scene of the 2012 massacre.
Jones, who reaches a global audience of millions through his Texas-based program, spent years claiming on-air that the Newtown, Connecticut, shooting was a hoax – perpetrated by gun control advocates to appeal the Second Amendment.
He has since conceded that he was wrong, but not before he was forced to shell out tens of millions to the victim’s families – a number that could soon swell as proceedings continue.
Bellis delivered a brutal legal blow to Jones last year by branding the host liable for his off-kilter comments – which included assertions that the shooting was staged by crisis actors.
Deciding in favor of the families, Bellis’ ruling set a legal president that will likely see Jones ordered to shell out tens – perhaps hundreds – of millions of dollars.
On Tuesday, Jones subsequently let his thoughts on the jurist known, upon being mobbed by a group of reporters and paparazzi.
‘This judge is a tyrant,’ Jones exclaimed outside the courthouse at around 10:30am. ‘This judge is ordering me to say that I’m guilty and to say that I am a liar. None of that is true.’
The far-right activist went on to rattle off other conspiracies he previously touted on his show that turned out to be true, in an effort to show that he was not malicious with his claims concerning the massacre, and that it was solely a journalistic flub.
‘I was not wrong about Sandy Hook on purpose,’ Jones said. ‘I questioned it. Just like Jesse Smollett. Just like WMDs in Iraq. Just like the Gulf of Tonkin. There are a lot of staged events in history, just like WMDs in Iraq and I questioned every major event.’
Calling the ongoing defamation trial a ‘travesty of justice,’ Jones went on to assert that he was ‘being put in an impossible position’ with the repeated court dates.
The statements from Jones echo earlier, more tongue in cheek references to his persecution the past year, in which the alt-right host claimed families were using him as a patsy for their pent up frustrations toward shooter Adam Lanza, who committed suicide after the assault
‘I’m being ordered to say I’m guilty,’ Jones told the crowd, who clamored to get a quote from the TV and internet personality.
‘I question every major event that we see, and so I’m being put in an impossible position inside of this courthouse.’
The statements from Jones echo earlier, more tongue in cheek references to his persecution the past year, in which the alt-right radio host claimed families were using him as a lighting rod for their pent up frustrations toward killer Lanza, who committed suicide after carrying out the mass murder at Sandy Hook Elementary.
‘Has anybody ever heard of someone being ordered to say they’re guilty, even in a criminal trial, where they found somebody with dead bodies?’ Jones shouted over reporters and shuttering cameras.
‘If the guilty person wants to get up and say they’re innocent, they’re allowed to,’ he said.
Jones tore into the Connecticut judge whose ruling made the forced payments possible, Judge Bellis, pictured here during proceedings last Friday
Jones went on to claim that ‘the judiciary has been weaponized’ against him.
Calling the trial a ‘struggle session right outside of South Africa or Communist China,’ Jones then appeared to concede that he had profited off his claims regarding Sandy Hook, saying he would be ‘perjuring myself’ if he said he had not financially benefited from the coverage.
However, Jones then backtracked, saying, ‘I don’t want to be the Sandy Hook man. It was a small part of what we said and did.’
The conservative talking head proceeded to further pan the American justice system for what he has called a ‘show trial’ in a rigged ‘kangaroo court’
In early August, the notorious conspiracy theorist was ordered to $45million in punitive damages to Sandy Hook parents Neil Heslin and Scarlett Lewis at the conclusion of an Austin, Texas, defamation trial.
The jury then compounded that ruling by ordering a further $4.1 million in compensatory damages, with Jones also owing an additional $1.5 million in fines.
This has left Jones owing more than $50 million for his claims concerning the shooting, proven to be demonstrably false and defamatory.
Jones is the founder of Infowars, the far-right conspiracy theory website that he launched 23 years ago that operates under the parent company, Free Speech Systems.
A Texas jury ordered Jones earlier this month to pay the families of the Sandy Hook massacre, nearly $50 million in damages after he spread a bizarre conspiracy theory claiming that the December 14, 2012 shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut, never happened and that it was staged.
Twenty children, between the ages of six and seven years old, and six adults were killed when 20-year-old Adam Lanza went on a shooting spree.
A parent walks away from the Sandy Hook Elementary School with her children following a shooting at the school in Newtown, Conn., Dec. 14, 2012
Veronique De La Rosa, mother of Noah Pozner, who was killed in the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting, wipes away tears during a news conference in Trumbull, Connecticut on February 15, 2022
Twenty children, between the ages of six and seven years old, and six adults were killed when 20-year-old Adam Lanza went on a shooting spree – with their families now setting their sights on Jones for his troubling assertions that the massacre was carried out by ‘crisis actors’
Kyle Farrar, a lawyer for the Sandy Hook families, who denies that Jones is bankrupt, claims that he is conjuring these plots to conceal money and evade responsibility.
Mediate reported he said ‘Alex jones is not financially bankrupt; he is morally bankrupt.’
Jones is expected to file a response to the new motion soon, one of his bankruptcy lawyers, R.J. Shannon said last week.
This is the first of three trials that Jones will face in relation to his claims that the 2012 Sandy Hook school shooting was a hoax. Last year, he was found guilty of defaming the families of the victims.
Two others are set for September, one in Texas and one in Connecticut, where the shooting took place. A total of eight families will be represented in the Connecticut trial.
In their lawsuits, the families and FBI agent William Aldenberg say that they have been subject to harassment, abusive comments on social media and even death threats because of the hoax conspiracy.
Some of the plaintiffs say strangers have videotaped them and their surviving children. And some families have moved out of Newtown to avoid threats and harassment.
‘I can’t even describe the last nine and a half years, the living hell that I and others have had to endure because of the recklessness and negligence of Alex Jones,’ Neil Heslin, Jesse Lewis’ father, testified during the Texas trial.
The Connecticut lawsuit alleges defamation, intentional infliction of emotional distress and violations of the state Unfair Trade Practices Act. The families claim when Jones talked about Sandy Hook, he boosted his audience and raked in more profits from selling supplements, clothing and other items.
The families have not asked for any specific amount of damages, some of which may be limited by state laws. There are no damage limits, however, under the Unfair Trade Practices Act.
In all the Connecticut and Texas cases, Jones and his lawyers repeatedly failed to turn over records as required to the families’ attorneys. In response, judges handed down one of the harshest sanctions in the civil legal world — they found Jones liable for damages by default without trials.
Jones, who runs his web show and Infowars brand in Austin, Texas, also faces a third trial over the hoax conspiracy in another pending lawsuit by Sandy Hook parents in Texas.
In a reversal from what he said on his show for years following the shooting, Jones now says he believes the massacre was real.
Meanwhile, Jones continues to say his comments about the shooting being a hoax involving crisis actors to encourage gun control efforts were protected by free speech rights.
He is set to take the stand to speak to his innocence Thursday morning.