Far-right conspiracy theorist Alex Jones on Thursday told a jury he’s “done” apologizing for pushing the conspiracy theory that the 2012 mass shooting that killed 20 children and six teachers at Connecticut’s Sandy Hook Elementary School was a hoax.
“Is this a struggle session? Are we in China? I’ve already said I’m sorry hundreds of times and I’m done saying I’m sorry,” Jones told a court in his Connecticut defamation trial.
Plaintiff attorney Christopher Mattei had asked Jones to “show a little respect” to the bereaved families present in the courtroom after the Infowars owner had ranted about liberals.
Mattei at one point noted that the victims’ families are “real people.”
“Just like all the Iraqis you liberals killed and love. Just, you’re unbelievable. You switch on emotions, on-and-off when you want. You’re just ambulance chasing,” Jones parried.
In his false claims that the Sandy Hook tragedy was a hoax, Jones had pushed the narrative that the victims’ parents were “crisis actors.”
Jones has since acknowledged the massacre, but is now embroiled in a number of legal battles over his theories as the families of the Sandy Hook victims sue him for defamation and emotional distress.
He was found liable by default in the defamation case at hand after failing to comply with court orders, and the Connecticut jury is now merely deciding how much Jones and his business need to pay up in damages.
Last month, a Texas jury required Jones to pay $45.2 million in punitive damages to a set of Sandy Hook parents in a separate defamation trial.
He’d arrived to the Texas courthouse in that earlier trial with “Save the 1st” written on a strip of duct tape over his mouth — despite conceding that the Sandy Hook massacre occurred, Jones argued the trial violates his free speech rights.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
