Tuesday was right-wing conspiracy theorist Alex Jones’ day in the dock as he testified in his own defense as part of a massive defamation case brought against him by parents of the children killed by a mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary in 2012.
As usual, however, Jones resorted to outright lies to defend himself and was repeatedly admonished for doing so by Judge Maya Guerra Gamble.
At one point, Judge Gamble told Jones:
“Mr. Jones, you may not say to this jury that you complied with discovery. That is not true. You may not say it again.”
Jones also claimed he was bankrupt, only to be reminded by the judge that while he has filed for bankruptcy, it has not yet and may never be approved:
“You may not tell this jury that you are bankrupt. 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.”
The larynx reference was in response to Jones saying during his testimony that he’d had surgery on his throat. He also claimed he’d had a tooth pulled when Judge Gamble told him he couldn’t chew gum in court. When Jones attempted to argue, the judge informed him:
“None of those were responses to questions. 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?”
When he attempted to make more excuses, the judge pointedly asked:
“Yes or no! Do you understand what I have said.”
Jones:
“Yes. I believe what I said was true. So, I don’t know —”
Exasperated, Judge Gamble interjected:
“Yes, you believe everything you say is true, but it isn’t. 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.”
When he attempted to speak again, Gamble told Jones:
“Don’t talk. Do you understand what I have said?”
Jones meekly replied:
“I do understand.”
Here’s the video:
