Elon Musk's X platform, formerly known as Twitter, has thrown its hat in the ring as an interested party in the bankruptcy case of Alex Jones' InfoWars.
YourNews reported that attorneys for the platform filed a notice of appearance in the federal bankruptcy court hearing Jones' case on Thursday, Nov. 14. The Thursday filing asserted X as an "interested party." The outlet continued that "while the filing does not explain [X's] precise motives, it reserves the right to request all relevant documents related to the case."
"The filing comes amid controversy surrounding the sale of InfoWars, which was purchased by satirical outlet The Onion at auction," reported YourNews. "The auction of InfoWars, conducted under court supervision, included its website, Texas studio, social media accounts, trademarks, and video archives."
Jones himself confirmed the sale on Thursday, the same day X made its filing. He founded InfoWars in 1999 under the parent company Free Speech Systems. Filings from June showed that the company itself held about $6 million in cash and $1.2 million in inventory.
"I just got word … that my lawyers and folks met with the U.S. trustee over our bankruptcy," he remarked. "They said they are shutting us down even without a court order. I don't know what's going to happen, but I'm going to be here until they come and turn the lights off."
The InfoWars founder later hinted at Musk's potential involvement during a live broadcast on X, claiming: "I was told Elon is going to be very involved in this." But neither Musk himself nor X Corp., the company that operates the X platform, has publicly commented on the development.
Jones further implied in the live broadcast that President-elect Donald Trump was closely watching the case. While the incoming president has not commented on the case, the InfoWars founder suggested that Trump was unhappy with the developments surrounding the site.
Jones: The Onion acquired InfoWars in a rigged auction
According to NPR, the auction rules allowed Christopher Murray – the court-appointed trustee overseeing the sale – to award InfoWars to "the highest or otherwise best bid." This essentially left the outcome open to interpretation, it added. Moreover, the winning bid amount has not been disclosed and all participants were required to sign nondisclosure agreements.
But Jones raised concerns about the fairness of the auction process, accusing The Onion and other parties of collusion. The InfoWars founder claimed in a video posted to X that the bidding rules were secretly altered shortly before the deal was finalized.
"They said, 'It was competitive.' [But] they changed all the bidding rules and made it secret," he said.
Jones found an ally in First United American Companies (FUAC), an entity named as a backup bidder in the auction. Attorneys for FUAC filed a request Thursday seeking an immediate court-ordered meeting about The Onion's win, alleging inconsistent procedures like "lack of transparency and inaccurate disclosures to interested bidders."
The FUAC lawyers reiterated the urgency of their filing as "the value of the assets is in the process of being destroyed at this very minute." Fortunately, a bankruptcy judge sided with the lawyers and ordered an evidentiary hearing to investigate potential irregularities.
The sale of InfoWars to Global Tetrahedron LLC, The Onion's parent company, was facilitated by families of the victims of the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting. They sued Jones in federal court for defamation, alleging that he falsely claimed the incident was a "hoax." A judge sided with the Sandy Hook victims, ordering the InfoWars founder to pay the plaintiffs a whopping $1 billion in damages.
As per NBC News, The Onion plans to close down InfoWars as a news platform and turn it into a satirical site. To this end, Global Tetrahedron seeks to recruit humor writers and content creators. But the involvement of Elon Musk's X seemingly threw a wrench in its plans.
A report by leftist outlet Mother Jones said lawyers for X were present at a related hearing. It added that the InfoWars founder allegedly delivered a cryptic remark: "The cavalry is here. Trump is pissed."
Watch InfoWars founder Alex Jones breaking down the "phony" auction of his platform in this video.
