Judge halts Infowars' sale to The Onion in shock move as Alex Jones blasts 'bankruptcy crime disguised as an auction' to repay Sandy Hook victims

A Texas justice pressed the intermission fastener connected The Onion's winning bid for Alex Jones' Infowars network implicit questions astir the bidding process and what the provocateur calls a 'rigged, fake auction.' 

The satirical quality work said the bid was sanctioned by the families of Sandy Hook Elementary victims who won a $1.4 cardinal defamation suit against Jones successful 2022. 

But Judge Christopher M. Lopez announced during a presumption league successful the US Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Texas that the gathering would beryllium held to sermon whether the radical moving the auction ran 'a just and afloat process.'

'I personally don't attraction who wins the auction, I attraction astir process and transparency,' the justice said, adding that 'nobody should consciousness comfortable' astir what happened. No day has been acceptable for the hearing.

Jones has raged against that precise process since the winning bid connected behalf of the satirical quality tract was announced Thursday. 

In 2 videos posted aboriginal that evening, a furious Jones claimed that the merchantability is not yet official.

'[My lawyers] had a full consensus: they've ne'er seen thing similar it. This was a private, concealed sale... fundamentally illegal, this is bankruptcy crime connected its look disguised arsenic an auction that wasn't an auction.'

'The radical didn't adjacent wage existent money, they paid immoderate weird FIAT happening that wasn't agreed to by the judge's bid and past they had the firm media accidental that The Onion bought Infowars.'

He past claims the justice told the trustee that helium didn't springiness the trustee the authorization to bash that and that it 'wasn't an auction.' 

Jones says that the radical down The Onion 'didn't bash anything' and called it 'unprecedented,' blaming it connected his predominant targets astatine the 'Deep State.' 

'It's crazy. Nobody sees however the national judge, who's known for being straight-laced, cannot extremity this fake sale, wherever helium fundamentally said it didn't hap and bare minimum, there'll beryllium a new, open, nationalist auction.' 

He past made a promise: 'Everybody reasoning Infowars was unopen down, you're successful for a rude awakening.'

Two hours later, helium gave a further update connected the process from the Infowars studios.

'The headlines you spot everyplace that The Onion bought Infowars contiguous is not true.'

He professed his choler with not conscionable the trustee not accepting the highest bid but that they wouldn't uncover who won and besides that they didn't uncover that recognition could beryllium utilized successful the auction.

'They bought my institution successful a rigged, fake auction that didn't adjacent hap with my wealth that doesn't exist,' helium claimed. 

He claimed that determination are 'good guys' trying to bargain Infowars - First United American Companies LLC which operates ShopAlexJones.com - and that their lawyers person 'never seen' thing similar this. 

Jones past accused the auction winners of having 'hijacked' his website and unopen down his TV and vigor stations.

He yet went disconnected connected the Sandy Hook families, saying he'd 'barely ever adjacent talked to them' and says they've 'raised wealth disconnected me' and 'had maine defaulted' via a amusement proceedings produced by HBO. 

'These radical person jumped the shark and it's wherefore determination was a referendum against the near and lawfare, wherefore Trump got elected successful a landslide, contempt each the fraud.'

He besides complained that 'outside immoderate of the instrumentality sites' nary 1 was covering this facet of the story. 

'If the justice certifies this, it's conscionable different acheronian time for peoples' rights.'  

Indeed, Judge Lopez appeared to person morganatic concerns with however the auction was run.

'Nobody should consciousness comfy with the results of the auction,' Lopez said, according to Bloomberg. 

Trustee Christopher Murray admitted that the process seemed unorthodox but it went on with what the victims' families wanted. 

'I've ne'er seen this earlier successful immoderate different case, and we did a batch of research, and we've ne'er recovered it,' helium said. 

'But I've ever thought my extremity was to maximize the betterment for unsecured creditors, and nether 1 bid, they're intelligibly amended than they were nether the other.'

The auction stemmed from Jones' idiosyncratic bankruptcy case, which helium filed successful precocious 2022 aft the families won lawsuits successful Connecticut and Texas over his claims that the schoolhouse shooting that killed 20 children and six adults was a hoax.

Infowars volition beryllium relaunched successful January arsenic a caller parody of itself nether The Onion umbrella, arsenic reported by The New York Times. 

Ben Collins, the main enforcement of The Onion's genitor company, Global Tetrahedron, said it volition mock 'weird net personalities' similar Jones who dispersed conspiracy theories. 

The Onion has declined to disclose however overmuch it paid for Infowars. The acquisition includes the Infowars' workplace and a fare supplement business. 

'The dissolution of Alex Jones’ assets and the decease of Infowars is the justness we person agelong awaited and fought for,' Robbie Parker, whose girl Emilie was killed successful the 2012 shooting successful Connecticut, said successful a connection provided by his lawyers.

Sealed bids for the backstage auction were opened Wednesday. Both supporters and detractors of Jones had expressed involvement successful buying Infowars. The different bidders person not been disclosed. 

The Onion, a satirical tract that manages to transportation radical to judge the absurd, bills itself arsenic 'the world’s starring quality publication, offering highly acclaimed, universally revered sum of breaking national, international, and section quality events' and says it has 4.3 trillion regular readers.

Jones has been saying connected his amusement that if his detractors bought Infowars, helium would move his regular broadcasts and merchandise income to a caller studio, websites and societal media accounts that helium has already acceptable up. He besides said that if his supporters won the bidding, helium could enactment connected the Infowars platforms.

Relatives of galore of the 20 children and six educators killed successful the shooting Jones and his institution for defamation and affectional distress for repeatedly saying connected his amusement that the shooting successful Newtown, Connecticut, was a hoax staged by situation actors to spur much weapon control.

Parents and children of galore of the victims testified that they were traumatized by Jones’ conspiracies and threats by his followers.

The lawsuits were filed successful Connecticut and Texas. Lawyers for the families successful the Connecticut suit said they worked with The Onion to effort to get Infowars.