Infowars attracts ‘seven-figure’ auction bids that will decide fate of Alex Jones’ empire

New York
CNN
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On Wednesday morning, conspiracy theorist Alex Jones’ infamous Infowars media empire will go up for auction in a court-mandated sale, and at least one bid is in the “seven-figure” range, a person familiar with the matter told CNN.

That bid is from someone described as an “ally” of Jones, who wants the host to continue broadcasting on the Infowars platform he founded under new ownership, the person said. It was not immediately clear who had made the offer.

Jones has said several times that his supporters are bidding on his company, which is being auctioned off, to help pay the more than $1 billion he owes to the families of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting victims. Jones was found guilty of defamation by juries in Texas and Connecticut for using his Infowars megaphone to falsely claim the massacre was a hoax.

Over the years, Jones has not only used the media platform to push vile lies and conspiracy theories, but also to enrich himself to the tune of millions of dollars. But the seven-figure bid from a Jones ally raises the prospect that a well-funded outside buyer could buy the company only to install Jones as host, effectively handing him back control.

Everything from the platform’s studio equipment, online supplement store, a Terradyne armored truck, Winnebago RV and its social media accounts are for sale to the highest bidder.

“I saw the auctioneers inside the building, going around and checking from the last time they were here to make sure all the things are here,” Jones said Monday on his show. “Now good guys are saying they want to buy it. If good guys buy it, Infowars will continue.”

Among those Jones considers to be “good guys” interested in buying Infowars is Roger Stone, a longtime political adviser to President-elect Donald Trump, according to the person familiar with the matter. Stone did not respond to a request for comment. AP first reported Stone was interested in the auction.

But if the “bad guys” buy Infowars, as Jones put it Monday, he’ll “keep shipping until they show up” after the Wednesday auction and close up shop. If that happens, Jones said he will move to a new social media account called AJNLive to continue his online rants.

“A new studio has been set up, satellite uplinks, servers, equipment, legal, everything. Keep fighting because they will keep coming after us,” he said, imploring his fans to keep buying his products to help fund his next iteration.

No matter what happens with Infowars or where Jones ends up broadcasting from, he will still owe the Sandy Hook families until he pays off his debt. An attorney representing Jones declined to comment.

Among those from the other end of the spectrum who have expressed interest in buying Infowars is the satirical news site The Onion, people familiar with the matter told CNN.

Onion CEO Ben Collins was a former journalist at NBC, where he extensively covered disinformation and conspiracy theorists, including Jones and Infowars. In June, when a social media user posted that Collins had the opportunity to “do the funnest thing ever” and buy Infowars, Collins replied with a screenshot of an Elon Musk post saying, “Looking into it.” Representatives for The Onion did not respond to requests for comment.

The Barbed Wire, a progressive Texas-based outlet, said it had planned to bid on the Infowars auction but ultimately decided against it. “We’re grateful to have raised thousands of dollars from a few hundred supporters for this effort. But we’ve talked to a number of like-minded bidders and we’re confident we’ll be outbid by people in the six and seven figures range,” the business said in a statement on Tuesday.

The left-wing media watchdog group Media Matters had also expressed interest in bidding for the business, Semaphore reported in September.

Bidders were required to submit 10% of an initial bid and sign a nondisclosure agreement under terms set by auction house ThreeSixty Asset Advisors. Anything not sold by Wednesday will be available for public auction in December.

“Notice of the result will be filed with the court immediately after the end of the auction process,” a representative of the company told CNN.

Earlier this fall, lawyers representing some of the Sandy Hook families expressed hope that the auction would mark the end of Jones’ control of the platform, calling it a “significant step forward.”

“This brings the families closer to their goal of holding him accountable for the harm he has caused,” said Christopher Mattei, an attorney representing some of the families in Connecticut.