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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 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. 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. 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 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, 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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