Missouri Joins Texas in Investigating Media Matters for Fraud for Their Attack on Musk's Advertisers
Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey opened an investigation into the far-left website "Media Matters for America" alleging fraud in its scheme to deprive "X," the social media platform formerly known as Twitter, of advertisers.
“We have reason to believe Media Matters used fraud to solicit donations from Missourians in order to trick advertisers into pulling out of X, the last platform dedicated to free speech in America. Radicals are attempting to kill Twitter because they cannot control it, and we are not going to let Missourians get ripped off in the process,” said Attorney General Bailey. “I’m fighting to ensure progressive tyrants masquerading as news outlets cannot manipulate the marketplace in order to wipe out free speech.”
The genesis of this incident is a series of stories run by Media Matters in November claiming that "X" allowed corporate ads to be run alongside “white nationalist and pro-Nazi content.” This caused the loss of at least one major advertising account to X, IBM, and the reports were used by Media Matters to raise funds for their fight against "extremism."
X owner Elon Musk promised a "thermonuclear lawsuit," which was just that: Elon Musk Drops the Hammer on Media Matters.
The reaction by prominent leftwing law experts indicates they expected Musk to passively stand by as specious claims damaged X's brand and Musk's reputation (Legal critics blast Elon Musk’s lawsuit against Media Matters as ‘weak’ and ‘bogus’). The subdued reaction by the ordinarily high-strung Media Matters CEO Angelo Carusone and the bellyaching about this "chilling" speech (sorry, blatant lies are not protected or even desirable speech) also indicate that the speed and ferocity of Musk's response was unexpected.
Following the lawsuit, another unexpected player entered the game. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton opened an investigation into Media Matters using fraud to hurt X's business.
The Office of the Attorney General (“OAG”) is opening an investigation into Media Matters for potential fraudulent activity. Under the Texas Business Organizations Code and the Deceptive Trade Practices Act, the OAG will vigorously enforce against nonprofits who commit fraudulent acts in or affecting the state of Texas.
Attorney General Paxton was extremely troubled by the allegations that Media Matters, a radical anti-free speech organization, fraudulently manipulated data on X.com (formerly known as Twitter).
This seems to have caught Media Matters by surprise. If so, today's announcement that Missouri will investigate Media Matters from a different angle was probably a thunderclap.
With Paxton and Bailey leading the charge, it wouldn't be a shock to see some other state attorneys general, particularly those on the Missouri vs. Biden team, also take a swing.
How Media Matters will cope with defending itself from two state investigations and a lawsuit funded by literally the richest man on earth remains to be seen. It will not be a shock if this ends with Musk owning Media Matters and the CEO and writer for this story shining Musk's shoes to pay off the criminal fines in addition to civil damages.
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