The messages offer an unvarnished look into the life of one of the
most influential radical right figures in modern American history.
Friend,
The SPLC's Hatewatch
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project obtained a first look at text messages from a phone belonging
to Infowars' Alex Jones and reviewed them over the course of
several months. The messages offer an unvarnished look into the life
of one of the most influential radical right figures in modern
American history.
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For the last two decades, Alex Jones has peddled disinformation
and hate to Americans, building a media empire in the process.
He's crafted the Infowars brand around his bombastic,
hypermasculine persona. But much like his rants about fluoride and
chemtrails and Sandy Hook, the image he has packaged and sold to his
audience is a lie.
Hatewatch reviewed more than 22,000 text messages Jones sent and
received between Aug. 19, 2019, and May 15, 2020. Those messages form
the basis of this investigation. Attorney Mark Bankston of Farrar
& Ball LLP, turned the text messages over to Hatewatch in
September on a not-for-publication basis, to aid Hatewatch's
mission of analyzing extremist networks. Hatewatch did not have access
to certain material, including text conversations with Jones'
healthcare providers, his childcare providers or messages with his
children.
On Jan. 31, Hatewatch received word that a redacted copy of the
messages entered the public record, enabling the publication of a
series of articles exposing the inner workings of Jones'
profitable but destructive business of selling bigotry and
disinformation to Americans. Parts one and two of this series are
available now.
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We broke the messages down into multiple parts, reporting out what
they tell us about the divide between Jones' performance on
Infowars and his private life, the network of pro-Trump influencers
and extremists within which he operates, and the way he makes money
off his fans.
Jones converses with several prominent Proud Boys
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in the texts, including Infowars contributor Joe Biggs, who is
currently standing trial on charges of seditious conspiracy for his
role in the pro-Trump insurrection. He texts Jacob Engels, a gay
reactionary with close ties to Roger Stone, who harasses other men at
Pride events; and Bobby "Pickles" Piccirillo, who
accompanied the group to a series of "Stop the Steal"
rallies in Washington, D.C., including the one on Jan. 6, 2021.
Hatewatch also found messages appearing to corroborate a Sept.
12, 2022, Rolling Stone story
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, which reported that Jones may have spied on his 43-year-old second
and current wife, Erika Wulff Jones. Hatewatch found two instances
where Jones contacts his security employee, former Austin Police
Department officer and Blackwater mercenary Tim Enlow, to apparently
monitor his wife. These findings just scratch the surface of our
investigation - visit Hatewatch to read more exclusive reporting
on the texts and what they reveal about the American radical right.
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READ MORE HERE
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