Jones was a prominent figure in the “Stop the Steal” movement and was at the Capitol on Jan. 6, although he did not go inside. Jones was subpoenaed by the committee in November. /Sergio Flores/Getty Images
By Robert Anglen | The Arizona Republic
Conspiracy theorist Alex Jones bellowed into a bullhorn outside the Maricopa County elections center in 2020, telling crowds of right-wing followers not to accept presidential election results and leading them in chants of “1776.”
Jones’ Nov. 5 and 6 appearances coincided with a string of protests by Arizona Republican lawmakers at the state Capitol and at the election center, who raised baseless claims of voter fraud even as ballots were tallied.
While Jones didn’t share the stage with Reps. Paul Gosar and Debbie Lesko, state Rep. Kelly Townsend or Republican Party Chair Kelli Ward, he shared their “Stop the Steal” rhetoric.
Newly revealed text messages sent and received by Jones in 2019 and 2020 could shed light on his activities in Arizona and his ties to lawmakers linked to efforts to overturn the election on behalf of former President Donald Trump.
CNN reported Monday that Jones’ texts were turned over to the House Select Committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol.
The texts were obtained by a Texas lawyer during a defamation lawsuit against Jones brought by the parents of a child killed during the 2012 Sandy Hook school shooting.
A jury last week hit Jones with judgments totaling more than $49 million for the emotional harm he inflicted by claiming on his “Infowars” radio show the shooting was a hoax and that the children weren’t dead.
