The Onion, a satirical news source known for skewering politics and culture, has won the bankruptcy auction for Alex Jones’ Infowars platform. However, the deal is now being scrutinized as Jones and his legal team question the procedure. A federal bankruptcy judge will examine the auction processes in a hearing next week.
Why Was Infowars Up for Auction?
As part of Jones’ personal bankruptcy proceedings, Infowars and other assets owned by his parent firm, Free Speech Systems, were auctioned off. Jones declared bankruptcy in late 2022 after a judge ordered him to pay roughly $1.5 billion to the relatives of the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting victims.
For years, Jones incorrectly claimed that the tragedy, which killed 20 first graders and six teachers, was staged to promote gun control. Some of his supporters responded to his statements by harassing and threatening the victims’ relatives. Jones now has stated that the shooting was “100% real.”
The auction was held to sell Jones’ assets and compensate the Sandy Hook families and creditors.
How The Onion Became the Successful Bidder
Christopher Murray, the bankruptcy trustee who oversaw the auction, received two sealed offers. One was from First United American Companies, a Jones-affiliated business, and offered $3.5 million.
The other, from The Onion, had a lesser financial value but a novel incentive: some Sandy Hook families gave up a percentage of the revenues to aid other creditors.
Murray said The Onion’s proposal was more appealing overall, citing the possibility of higher creditor compensation. However, he confessed that the actual worth of the proposal, taking into account the families’ offer, was not immediately evident.
The auction process has been disputed.
Jones and his counsel have claimed that the trustee botched the sale. According to them, the sale rules were changed abruptly after receiving the sealed bids. They claim that a scheduled round of open bidding was canceled without warning, in which parties might have outbid one another.
Judge Christopher raised issues about the auction’s openness and fairness at a court hearing in Houston on Thursday. Lopez had already issued a 20-page ruling explaining the selling procedures, granting the trustee considerable freedom to select the best bidder. However, the order specified that the open bidding round was optional.
The judge has not scheduled a hearing to clarify the trustee’s activities and assess if The Onion’s offer was lawfully selected.
Infowars Temporarily Shut Down
As part of the trustee’s efforts to recover assets, Infowars’ websites and offices in Austin, Texas, were temporarily taken following the revelation that The Onion had won the bid.
Infowars was back online by Friday morning, prompting doubts about who approved the relaunch. Jones said during his program from a new studio that the trustee conceded the shutdown was premature, though Murray and his legal team had yet to respond publicly.
What Happens Next
The court’s future ruling might significantly impact the transaction. The decision might maintain The Onion’s restarting the auction for competitive bidding and rejecting all bids outright. Lopez has the final say on whether the sale is accepted or denied.
The Onion’s Vision for Infowars
If The Onion’s bid is finalized, it plans to relaunch Infowars in January as a parody of Jones and other conspiracy theorists. Ben Collins, the CEO of The Onion, described the satirical goal as transforming Infowars into “the funniest and dumbest website that exists,” noting its current reputation as “the dumbest website that exists.”
The Onion’s decision has attracted interest and debate, as it combines humor with one of the most notorious channels for disinformation in modern media. The impending court hearing will decide whether this odd chapter in Alex Jones’ legal and financial history continues.
