Alex Jones Caught in Lie

A Pathological Lier on the Stand

Alex Jones, the conspiracy theorist, who has made a living spewing insane and despicable lies, might finally have to pay for those lies and all the pain they have caused. The first of three defamation trials for the infowars founder began this week in Texas. A jury is considering how much he owes the parents of some of the victims of the 2012 Sandy Hook school shooting after he falsely told his audience that the whole thing was a hoax. The parents of a 6-year-old killed in the attack want Jones to pay $150 million in damages. They say, and rightly so, he’s responsible for the suffering they have endured, which has included death threats and harassment by his followers.

As Elizabeth Williamson writes in the New York Times, the figure represents the first time the family of a victim has put a dollar amount on the suffering Jones has caused by spreading lies about the 2012 school shooting. Even though Jones has since acknowledged that the shooting was not a hoax, he is still trying to play the victim role; he arrived at the courthouse wearing a tape over his mouth with the message “save the first” printed on it, a reference to the First Amendment which he clearly doesn’t know that much about.

In his defense, Jones lawyers are making the claim that he was just duped by some of his guests and he bears…