[ad_1]
Alex Jones tried to promote his supplement business while on the stand in his $150 million Sandy Hook defamation trial.
The conspiracy theorist bragged about the quality of vitamins sold on his Infowars conspiracy theory website in an extended tirade to the jury. That jury is responsible for deciding how much Jones must pay in damages to Mark Heslin and Scarlett Lewis, who lost their six-year-old son Jesse Lewis in the 2012 school shooting that killed 20 children and six adults.
Asked by Andino Reynal’s lawyer about Infowars’ business model, Jones said he made $165 million from promoting supplements on the site.
“We have them made by the top lab recognized in the United States. All we do is put our label on it so we know it’s triple checked with the highest quality and that’s why people love it,” he said.
“It’s the best out there… there’s all kinds of crap you can buy at a gas station out there. This is not ours… we buy ours from the Japanese.’
Attorney Mark Bankston, who is representing Jesse’s parents, accused Jones of repeatedly lying on the stand after he claimed in the witness box that he was bankrupt.
He also accused Mr Reynal of “deliberately soliciting testimony to undermine this hearing”.
Judge Maya Guerra Gamble strongly admonished Jones for testifying that he had complied with discovery and that he was bankrupt.
“Mr. Jones, you may have filed for bankruptcy, I don’t know, but I’ve heard. This does not make a person or company bankrupt. You are already under oath to tell the truth. You have already broken that oath twice, today. This is not your show,” he said.
Judge Guerra Gamble said the conspiracy theorist “abused my leniency and made inappropriate entries to the jury”.
Asked if he understood what he had said, Jones replied: “Yes, I believe what I said was true.”
“You think everything you say is true, but it’s not,” the judge replied to Jones. “Your beliefs do not make something true. That’s what we’re doing here, just because you claim to believe something is true doesn’t make it true.”
Neil Heslin and Scarlett Lewis previously testified that they suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder and lived in a constant state of fear of Jones’ supporters. They spoke emotionally about a years-long campaign of harassment by Jones’ listeners who had believed his repeated, false claims that the Sandy Hook shooting had been staged.
“To say that Jesse never existed was a farce,” Ms Scarrelt said, addressing Jones directly. “I know there are hoaxes out there, but this was an incredibly real event and I lived it. It’s unbelievable that you keep saying it didn’t happen.”
Judge Guerra Gamble also told Jones off several times for chewing in court.
Jones claimed he had dental surgery to remove a tooth last week and massaged the area around the missing tooth and offered to show the judge his mouth.
“I don’t want to see the inside of your mouth. Sit down,” Judge Guerra Gamble replied.
Video posted on social media appeared to show him turning his back to the judge and putting something in his mouth.
At the beginning of his testimony, Jones apologized to the parents.
“I never intentionally tried to hurt you, I never said your name until we ended up in court,” he said.
[ad_2]
Source link
