(NewsNation) — The conspiracy theorist Alex Jones — who is entangled in legal trouble over false claims about the shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary in 2012 — testified Thursday he was “done saying I’m sorry” over his stance that the shooting was staged.
Jurors are deciding how much Jones and the parent company of his media platforms should pay for defaming the victims’ families and intentionally inflicting emotional distress.
Who’s Talking About This?
The left. Fifty-five percent of news outlets that talked about this were left-leaning, according to Ground News, a NewsNation partner that measures media bias.
- The Washington Post: “Alex Jones declares he’s ‘done saying I’m sorry’ at Sandy Hook trial”
- Mediaite: ‘‘’I’m Done Saying I’m Sorry’: Alex Jones and Lawyer Get in Heated Argument in Front of Crying Sandy Hook Parents”
Only 15% of outlets reporting this story were right-leaning, according to Ground News.
Is That Really What Happened?
The exchange during Jones’ testimony Thursday went like this:
Plaintiff attorney Christopher Mattei: You have families in this courtroom here that lost children, sisters, wives, moms —
Jones: Is this a struggle session? Are we in China? I’ve already said I’m sorry hundreds of times and I’m done saying I’m sorry. I didn’t progenerate this. I wasn’t the first person to say it. American gun owners didn’t like being blamed for this as the left did so we rejected it mentally and said it must not be true. But I legitimately thought it might have been staged and I stand by that. I don’t apologize for it.
Mattei: And don’t apologize, Mr. Jones — please don’t apologize —
Jones: No, I’ve already apologized to the parents over and over again. I don’t apologize to you.
You can watch a full video of the testimony here on the Law & Crime YouTube channel.
What’s Another Side of the Story?
Jones has acknowledged the shooting took place, but in April he said in a deposition, “I don’t (accept) responsibility because I wasn’t trying to cause pain and suffering,” according to the transcripts made public this month. He continued: “They are being used and their children who can’t be brought back (are) being used to destroy the First Amendment.”
This trial is the most recent to land Jones in a courtroom, but it’s not the first.
Jones was found liable by default in two similar lawsuits stemming from his false claims about the Sandy Hook shooting. Last month, a jury in Austin, Texas, determined Jones owes $50 million in damages to the parents of one of the children killed.
The Bottom Line
The Dec. 14, 2012, shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary remains the nation’s deadliest mass shooting at a K-12 school. The conspiracy theories that followed and that Jones perpetuated have had far-reaching consequences for the victims’ families and are often mimicked in the aftermath of mass casualty events since then.