Alex Jones Reprimanded By Judge [Video]
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The judge presiding over the Austin, Texas, defamation trial against Alex Jones admonished the Infowars founder for lying under oath.
A jury found that Jones must pay Neil Heslin and Scarlett Lewis, the parents of a 6-year-old boy killed in the 2012 mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn., $4.1 million in compensatory damages for claiming that the tragedy was a hoax.
Earlier this week, Travis County District Court Judge Maya Guerra Gamble reportedly told court staffers that she was sending the jury home after prosecutors raised concerns over Jones telling falsehoods on the witness stand.
“Mr. Jones, you may not say to this jury that you complied with discovery,” said Judge Gamble. “That is not true. You may not say it again.”
“You may not tell this jury that you are bankrupt,” Gamble continued. “That is also not true. You may have filed for bankruptcy, I don’t know that but I have heard that. That doesn’t make a person or a company bankrupt. You’re already under oath to tell the truth. You’ve already violated that oath twice today in those two examples. It seems absurd to instruct you again that you must tell the truth when you testify. Yet, here I am. You must tell the truth while you testify. This is not your show. You need to slow down and not take what you see as opportunities to further the message that you’re wanting to further. Instead, only answer the specific and exact questions you’ve been asked. No asides. The comments about discovery. The comments about the larynx or whatever it was.”
“None of those were responses to questions,” the judge said. “They’re just you abusing my tolerance and making asides to the jury improperly and, in at least two cases, untruthfully. Do you understand what I have said?”
“Yes,” said Jones. “I believe what I said was true. So, I don’t know —”
“Yes, you believe everything you say is true, but it isn’t,” Judge Gamble said. “Your beliefs do not make something true. That is what we’re doing here. Just because you claim to believe something is true does not make it true. It does not protect you. It does not allow — you’re under oath. Those things must actually be true when you say them.”
The Infowars founder started to speak again.
“Don’t talk,” the judge said. “Do you understand what I have said?”
“I do understand,” Jones replied.
On Wednesday, after years of claiming that the massacre was a hoax, Jones said it was “100% real.”
“Especially since I’ve met the parents. It’s 100% real,” Jones said.
However, he later added a caveat.
“I think Sandy Hook happened. I think it was a terrible event,” he said. “I think it was a cover-up. The FBI knew it was going to happen.”
Gamble ordered the jury to return Friday to consider punitive damages.