Jerome Corsi Files Defamation Lawsuit Against Alex Jones
Conservative author and conspiracy theorist Jerome Corsi is suing Alex Jones of InfoWars fame for defamation, The Hill reports.
Corsi and his attorney Larry Klayman, a known conservative activist, filed a lawsuit on Thursday against Alex Jones, the controversial host’s father David Jones, and InfoWars journalist Owen Shroyer. The two men allege that Jones and others have “defamed, intimidated, and threatened” them.
The lawsuit states that Jones described Corsi as “extremely mentally degraded…to the point of dementia.” Jones, according to Corsi and Klayman, impugned their character by describing the former as a person with a “feeble, alcohol-affected memory,” and the latter as “an egomaniac” who “could be the single worst lawyer in America.” Jones’ allegations have, Corsi and his attorney state, cost them “financial support and sales.”
Much like Alex Jones, Corsi is known for spreading baseless conspiracy theories. Notably, the conservative author is famous for promoting the so-called “birther” conspiracy theory, which alleges that former President Barack Obama was not born in the United States.
The lawsuit comes as somewhat of a surprise given that Jones and Corsi have extensively collaborated in the past — the conservative author was InfoWars‘ Washington bureau chief.
After leaving InfoWars in June 2018, Corsi found himself entangled in Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s probe into Russian election interference and possible coordination between Moscow and the Trump campaign. The Special Counsel is investigating whether Corsi played a role in connecting the Trump campaign with whistle-blower organization WikiLeaks, which published emails stolen — allegedly by Russian hackers — from former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s private server.
Jerome Corsi used to work for Infowars. Now he’s warring with it. https://t.co/dNmc42SkhO
— The Daily Beast (@thedailybeast) March 8, 2019
Corsi and Jones’ mutual friend, Roger Stone, is also accused of connecting the Trump campaign with WikiLeaks. He was recently indicted by Mueller on five counts of false statements, one count of witness tampering, and one count of obstruction of justice.
As CNBC reported, Alex Jones rose to national prominence following Donald Trump’s victory. Having spent the better part of the past two decades “on the outskirts of political society, spreading conspiracy theories and lies,” Jones — an ardent supporter of President Trump — faded back into the background in August 2018.
Facebook, Apple, YouTube, and other internet giants deplatformed Jones, following a lawsuit filed by parents of children who died during the Sandy Hook mass shooting. Sandy Hook parents accused Jones of inciting his followers to harass them.
“The more I’m persecuted, the stronger I get,” Jones said at the time.
“You succeeded in turning Alex Jones into a free speech martyr, meaning his message will become louder than ever,” InfoWars editor Paul Joseph Watson said following the first round of bans.
