Infowars attracts ‘seven-figure’ auction bids that will decide fate of Alex Jones’ empire
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On Wednesday morning, conspiracy theorist Alex Jones' notorious 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 an individual 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 placed the bid.
Jones has said multiple times that his supporters are placing bids for his company, which is being auctioned off to help pay the more than $1 billion he owes 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 purchase the company only to install Jones as its host and effectively hand control back to him.
Everything from the platform's studio equipment, online dietary supplement store, a Terradyne armored truck, Winnebago motorhome and its social media accounts are up for sale to the highest bidder.
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"I saw the auctioneers inside the building, going around surveying from the last time they were here to make sure all the stuff's here," Jones said Monday on his show. "Now good guys say they're gonna 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 long-time political adviser to President-elect Donald Trump, according to the person familiar with the matter. Stone did not respond to a request for comment. The AP first reported Stone was interested in the auction.
But if "bad guys" buy Infowars, as Jones put it Monday, he'll "keep broadcasting until they show up" after the Wednesday auction and shut down the fringe outlet. If that happens, Jones said he'll move over to a new social media account dubbed AJNLive to continue his online rants.
"A new studio has been set up, satellite up links, servers, equipment, legal, everything. Keep fighting ‘cuz they're gonna keep coming after us," he said, imploring his fans to continue buying his products to help fund his next iteration.
No matter what happens to Infowars or where Jones ends up broadcasting from, he'll still continue to owe the Sandy Hook families until he pays off his debts. An attorney representing Jones declined to comment.
Among those from the other end of the spectrum who have expressed interested in buying Infowars is the satirical news site The Onion, people familiar with the matter told CNN.
The Onion CEO Ben Collins was previously a journalist at NBC where he extensively covered disinformation and conspiracy theorists, including Jones and Infowars. In June, when a social media user wrote that Collins had the opportunity to "do the funniest thing ever" and buy Infowars, Collins responded with a screengrab of an Elon Musk post saying, "Looking into it." Representatives for The Onion did not respond to requests for comment.
The progressive Texas-based outlet The Barbed Wire also confirmed it planned to place a bidfor Infowars, publisher Jeff Rotkoff told CNN last month, though he declined to detail who their partners were or the bid's value. The left-leaning media watchdog group Media Matters had also expressed interest in bidding for the outlet, Semafor reported in September.
Bidders were required to put down 10% of an initial offer and sign a nondisclosure agreement, according to the terms set out by the auction house ThreeSixty Asset Advisors. Anything not sold on Wednesday will be available for public auction in December.
"Notice of the outcome will be filed with the Court promptly following the conclusion of the auction process," a representative for the firm told CNN.
Earlier this fall, attorneys 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.
