> $4.1 MILLION IS HOW MUCH ALEX JONES WILL HAVE TO PAY
FOR HIS LIES. A JURY AWARDING THAT SUM TO THE
PARENTS OF 6-YEAR-OLD JESSIE LEWIS WHO WAS KILLED AT SANDY
HOOK ELEMENTARY SCHOOL NEARLY TEN YEARS AGO.
FOLLOWING THE JUDGMENT JONES TOOK TO THE AIRWAVES AND SAID
THIS -- >> I ADMIT THAT I MADE A
MISTAKE. I ADMITTED THAT I FOLLOWED
DISINFORMATION, BUT NOT ON PURPOSE.
I APOLOGIZED TO THE FAMILIES AND THE JURY UNDERSTOOD THAT.
WHAT I DID TO THOSE FAMILIES WAS WRONG BUT I DIDN'T DO IT ON
PURPOSE. >> YEAH.
>> I'M NOT SURE IF YOU CAN SAY HE DIDN'T DO IT ON PURPOSE, BUT
THIS MAY BE JUST THE START OF JONES' LEGAL TROUBLE BECAUSE THE
PLAINTIFFS' LAWYER IS SAYING THAT THE JANUARY 6th COMMITTEE
HAS ASKED FOR JONES' PHONE RECORDS WHICH INCLUDES TEXT
MESSAGES REVEALED DURING THIS TRIAL.
JOINING US NOW IS ERICA HILL AND CNN SENIOR MEDIA REPORTER OLIVER
DARCY. LET'S START FIRST, ERICA, WITH
THIS TRIAL. $4.1 MILLION, IT ASKED FOR $150
MILLION BUT THIS IS JUST ONE FAMILY AND THIS MAY NOT BE THE
END OF IT BECAUSE THERE MAY BE OTHER DAMAGES AWARDED.
>> THESE WERE THE COMPENSATORY DAMAGES THAT WERE AWARDED
YESTERDAY. THE ATTORNEY FOR THE PLAINTIFFS
ACTUALLY TELLING OLIVER THAT HE WAS THRILLED WITH THE DECISION
THAT SCARLETT LEWIS AND NEIL HESLIN WERE THRILLED WITH THE
DECISION HERE AND THAT THEY DID NOTE THERE ARE OTHER DEFAMATION
LAWSUITS PENDING. THE PUNITIVE DAMAGES, THAT PART
OF THE TRIAL, WILL BE DECIDED -- WILL START, RATHER, TODAY SO
THERE COULD BE MORE DAMAGES COMING IN JUST THIS TRIAL ALONE.
BUT YOU BRING UP AN INTERESTING POINT WHEN YOU TALK ABOUT OTHER
FAMILIES BECAUSE THERE ARE OTHER CASES PENDING AND THIS IS A
POINT THAT ONE OF OUR LEGAL ANALYSTS MADE LAST NIGHT WAS
THAT THE JURY MAY HAVE TAKEN INTO ACCOUNT THAT THERE ARE
OTHER DEFAMATION CASES PENDING, AND THAT PERHAPS THEY ARE
THINKING ABOUT THE OTHER FAMILIES WHO MAY POTENTIALLY BE
COMPENSATED AND THAT MAY HAVE FIGURED INTO HOW THEY CAME UP
WITH THIS NUMBER. >> SO POTENTIALLY $4 MILLION
TIMES 20, POTENTIALLY. >> WELL --
>> OLIVER, I WANT YOU TO PUT THE $4 MILLION IN CONTEXT.
ALEX JONES IS A CONSPIRACY ENTREPRENEUR, SO HOW BIG A BITE
IS $4 MILLION OUT OF THE AMOUNT OF MONEY HE'S MADE OVER THE PAST
FEW YEARS? >> $4 MILLION IS A LOT OF MONEY
OBVIOUSLY. >> YES.
>> BUT IT IS A DROP IN THE BUCKET COMPARED TO HOW MUCH ALEX
JONES HAS PROFITED OVER THE YEARS OFF OF LIES AND CONSPIRACY
THEORIES SIMILAR TO SANDY HOOK. WE KNOW ACCORDING TO BANKRUPTCY
FILINGS THAT IN THE MOST -- THE 17 MOST RECENT MONTHS OF
FINANCIAL DATA WE HAVE THAT HE HAS MADE OVER $22 MILLION IN
PROFIT. WE KNOW THAT HIS CHIEF
RESTRUCTURING OFFICER TESTIFIED THIS WEEK THAT HE HAD $9 MILLION
IN CRYPTOCURRENCY DONATIONS. AND WE KNOW THAT FROM THE TRIAL
THAT HE WAS MAKING UPWARDS OF $800,000 A DAY IN 2018.
>> $800,000 A DAY. >> IT'S NOT A STRETCH OF THE
IMAGINATION TO SAY THAT OVER HER CAREER PUSHING LIES, PUSHING
HATE, HE HAS MADE PROBABLY, YOU KNOW, HUNDREDS OF MILLIONS OF
DOLLARS. THERE'S JUST NO RAW FINANCIAL
DATA BECAUSE ACCORDING TO THE ACCOUNTANT THAT'S NOW IN CHARGE,
THERE REALLY WASN'T ANY ACCOUNTING ON HIS BUSINESS, BUT
JUST TAKING THE MOST RECENT DATA AND MULTIPLYING IT ACROSS HIS
CAREER THAT'S A LARGE SUM OF MONEY.
$4 MILLION A LOT OF MONEY BUT A DROP IN THE BUCKET.
>> HE HAS DECLARED BANKRUPTCY, AND THE FAMILIES ARE SAYING THAT
HE HAS POOLED A TON OF MONEY, TENS OF MILLIONS OF DOLLARS OUT
OF THE PARENT COMPANY OF INFO WARS.
THAT'S THE QUESTION ARE THEY GOING TO BE ABLE TO SEE THIS
MONEY. THE BOMBSHELL MOMENT OF THIS
TRIAL, THE TEXT MESSAGES OF ALEX JONES, ACTUALLY THEY DO EXIST
AND HIS ATTORNEY ACCIDENTALLY SENT THEM ALL TO THE
PROSECUTION. NOW LAW ENFORCEMENT WANTS THEM,
THE JANUARY 6th COMMITTEE WANTS THEM, AND THAT'S WHERE WE'RE
GOING HERE. >> YEAH, I MEAN, THAT WAS
YESTERDAY, BEFORE -- AS WE WERE ALL WAITING TO HEAR WHAT THESE
DAMAGES WOULD BE, THAT'S WHAT WE HEARD ABOUT FIRST WERE THESE
TEXT MESSAGES, THE REQUEST FROM THE JANUARY 6th COMMITTEE AND
FROM LAW ENFORCEMENT ACCORDING TO THE ATTORNEY FOR THE
PLAINTIFFS AND HE SAID, LOOK, UNLESS YOU SAY TO ME, JUDGE,
THERE IS NO REASON YOU CAN'T DO THIS, I'M GOING TO TURN THEM
OVER. THE JUDGE DID GIVE THE DEFENSE
TEAM SOME TIME TO BASICALLY TRY TO COME UP WITH A REASON WHY SHE
SHOULD NOT SAY, SURE, GO AHEAD AND TURN THESE OVER, NOT CLEAR
WHETHER THEY HAVE COME UP WITH ANYTHING YET.
I GUESS WE WILL LEARN MORE TODAY.
>> OLIVER, GIVEN YOUR KNOWLEDGE OF ALEX JONES ON JANUARY 6 AND
THE NEXUS HE PLAYED IN THE BROADER TRUMP AND CONSPIRACY
THEORIST ORBIT, WHAT'S THE POTENTIAL JEOPARDY OR
INFORMATION WE COULD GET FROM THESE?
>> WE COULD GET A LOT. ALEX JONES IS SOMEONE WHO HAS
BOASTED THAT HE HAS KNOWLEDGE OF BASICALLY THE INNER WORKINGS OF
THE WHITE HOUSE. HE IS A KEY FIGURE IN RIGHT BING
MEDIA SO HE IS UNDOUBTEDLY TEXTING KEY PLAYERS WHO DO HAVE
CONTACT. SO THERE COULD BE A LOT OF
INTERESTING MESSAGES IN THOSE TEXT MESSAGES AND WE EXPECT TO
HEAR MORE ABOUT WHETHER, YOU KNOW, HE'S FREE TO RELEASE THESE
BASICALLY TO THE JANUARY 6th COMMITTEE TODAY.
POTENTIALLY BEFORE THE WEEKEND STARTS THE JANUARY 6th COMMITTEE
COULD HAVE TWO YEARS OF ALEX JONES' TEXT MESSAGES AND PHONE
RECORDS. >> SUCH AN IMPORTANT TRIAL ON
ITS OWN AND INCLUDING THESE CONNECTIONS TO JANUARY 6.
ERICA, OLIVER, THANK YOU SO MUCH.
JOINING US NOW IS A WRITER FOR "THE NEW YORK TIMES" ELIZABETH
WILLIAMSON SHE HAS BEEN IN THE COURTROOM FOR THIS TRIAL AND IS
ALSO THE AUTHOR OF A NEW VERY IMPORTANT BOOK CALLED "SANDY
HOOK AN AMERICAN TRAGEDY AND THE BATTLE FOR TRUTH."
IT'S THAT BATTLE FOR TRUTH THAT IS SO IMPORTANT TO TALK ABOUT
HERE, ELIZABETH. I WANT TO ASK YOU FIRST, THOUGH,
STARTING WITH THESE DAMAGES, WHAT ARE THE IMPLICATIONS OF
$4.1 MILLION IN COMPENSATORY DAMAGES FOR THIS ONE FAMILY?
>> I THINK FOR SCARLETT LEWIS AND NEIL HESLIN THIS IS SORT OF
A MORAL VICTORY. THEY FELT LIKE THEY NEEDED A
SYMBOLIC JUDGMENT AGAINST HIM, BUT AS THEY SAID IN COURT, THIS
IS REALLY A VICTORY FOR TRUTH AND ALSO A MESSAGE SENT TO
OTHERS WHO MIGHT, YOU KNOW, BE TEMPTED TO HARM VULNERABLE
PEOPLE BY SPREADING LIES OF THIS NATURE.
>> SO HAS THIS REALLY -- IS THIS REALLY GOING TO STOP ALEX JONES?
AS YOU'VE WATCHED HIM EVEN DOING HIS SHOW THROUGHOUT THE TRIAL,
WHAT DO YOU THINK? >> NO.
I MEAN, FOR SOMEONE LIKE ALEX JONES, AS WE KNOW, THERE'S
REALLY NO BOTTOM. HE WAS ON HIS SHOW CLAIMING
VICTORY, SAYING THAT THIS FAMILY LOVES HIM NOW AND THAT THEIR
LAWYERS ARE USING THEM AS PAWNS. IF ANYONE HAS USED THESE
FAMILIES AS PAWNS, IT'S BEEN ALEX JONES, WHO FOR TEN YEARS
HAS FOMENTED THIS LIE THAT THE SHOOTING WAS A PRETEXT FOR GUN
CONTROL PLANNED BY THE GOVERNMENT AND THAT THESE
FAMILIES WERE COMPLICIT IN THE PLOT.
HE HAS -- HE HAS BEEN RESPONSIBLE FOR A LOT OF DAMAGE
HERE AND, YOU KNOW, HE'S MORE SYMBOLIC, HE'S REALLY EMBLEMATIC
OF THE SPREAD OF DISINFORMATION AND FALSE NARRATIVES OVER THE
PAST DECADE SINCE SANDY HOOK. HE HAS BEEN PART OF EVERY ONE OF
THE MOST PERNICIOUS MYTHS THAT HAVE CAUSED CONFRONTATION AND
VIOLENCE IN THIS COUNTRY, FROM PIZZA-GATE TO CHARLOTTESVILLE TO
CORONAVIRUS MYTHS AND THE STOP THE STEAL LIE THAT STARTED THE
2021 JANUARY 6th INSURRECTION OF THE CAPITOL.
>> THAT IS WHY YOUR BOOK IS SO ESSENTIAL.
I THINK IF PEOPLE ARE LOOKING AT YOUR BOOK IT'S NOT JUST ABOUT
SANDY HOOK, IT'S ABOUT THE ORIGIN STORY OF ALL OF THESE
CONSPIRACY THEORIES THAT ARE JUST POLLUTING THE DISCUSSION
AND REALLY JUST POLLUTING THE NATION.
I DO WANT TO PLAY THE BOMBSHELL MOMENT BECAUSE YOU'VE BEEN
WATCHING THIS TRIAL THERE, I WANT TO PLAY THE BOMBSHELL
MOMENT WHERE ALEX JONES REALIZES THAT THE PROSECUTION HAS ALL OF
HIS TEXT MESSAGES, INCLUDING ABOUT SANDY HOOK, THAT HE HAD
SAID IN A DEPOSITION DIDN'T EXIST.
HERE IT IS. >> MR. JONES, DID YOU KNOW THAT
12 DAYS AGO -- 12 DAYS AGO -- YOUR ATTORNEYS MESSED UP AND
SENT ME AN ENTIRE DIGITAL COPY OF YOUR ENTIRE CELLPHONE WITH
EVERY TEXT MESSAGE YOU'VE SENT FOR THE PAST TWO YEARS, AND WHEN
INFORMED, DID NOT TAKE ANY STEPS TO IDENTIFY IT AS PRIVILEGED OR
PROTECT IT IN ANY WAY, AND AS OF TWO DAYS AGO IT FELL FREE AND
CLEAR INTO MY POSSESSION AND THAT IS HOW I KNOW YOU LIED TO
ME WHEN YOU SAID YOU DIDN'T HAVE TEXT MESSAGES ABOUT SANDY HOOK.
DID YOU KNOW THAT? >> I TOLD YOU THE TRUTH.
THIS IS YOUR PERRY MASON MOMENT. I GAVE MY PHONE --
>> MR. JONES, YOU NEED TO ANSWER THE REQUEST.
>> HE DID YOU KNOW THIS HAPPENED?
>> NO, I DIDN'T KNOW THIS HAPPENED, BUT, I MEAN, I TOLD
YOU I GAVE THEM THE PHONE. >> ELIZABETH, WHAT WAS IT LIKE
WATCHING THAT MOMENT? >> YOU KNOW, WHAT REALLY STRUCK
ME, BRIANNA, IS THAT ALEX JONES IS USED TO CONTROLLING HIS OWN
NARRATIVE ON HIS SHOW. AS THE JOURNAL POINTED OUT TO
HIM MORE THAN ONCE, THIS IS NOT HIS SHOW.
SHE RUNS THIS COURTROOM. AND MOREOVER, THE JUSTICE SYSTEM
IS NOT CONDUCIVE TO A PERSONALITY -- IT'S NOT A
FAVORABLE ENVIRONMENT FOR A PERSONALITY LIKE ALEX JONES.
HE CAN'T JUST FILL THE ATMOSPHERE WITH GUANO AND EXPECT
PEOPLE TO BELIEVE IT. YOU KNOW, HE TRIED TO INTERJECT
HIS OPINION INTO VIRTUALLY EVERY ONE OF HIS ANSWERS AND WAS SHUT
DOWN. YOU KNOW, A COURT OF LAW IS
NOT -- IS NOT A FAVORABLE PLACE FOR SOMEONE WHO PURVEYS LIES
LIKE ALEX JONES. >> NO.
IT CERTAINLY IS NOT. ELIZABETH, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR
THE WORK THAT YOU'VE BEEN DOING AS YOU ARE WADING THROUGH ALL OF
THESE EFFORTS BY THESE FAMILIES TO COME TO SOME RESOLUTION THAT
THEY COULD DESERVE. THANK YOU.