Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche has ordered a senior U.S. Justice Department official to drop an inquiry into a retired FBI agent's involvement in a defamation lawsuit involving conspiracy theories about the a person familiar with the matter said Wednesday.
, who leads the Justice Department鈥檚 鈥渨eaponization working group,鈥� sent a letter dated Sept. 15 to the Sandy Hook families' lawyer asking for information about former FBI agent William Aldenberg, who responded to the 2012 school shooting and was a plaintiff in the lawsuit, along with victims' relatives, that led to against Jones for calling the massacre a hoax.
suggested that he was looking into whether Aldenberg broke a federal law by receiving financial benefits for helping to organize the lawsuit. Jones, who said he met with Martin last week in Washington, has accused Democrats and Justice Department officials of orchestrating the lawsuit to silence him.
But Martin's correspondence to Christopher Mattei, a lawyer for the Sandy Hook families, and Aldenberg, "caused frustrations鈥� within the Justice Department, and Blanche directed Martin to withdraw the letter, said the person familiar with the matter, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss internal agency matters.
Mattei said he received a new letter from Martin on Wednesday that said there was no investigation of Aldenberg and 鈥淚 hereby withdraw my request for information.鈥�
鈥淟ess than 18 hours after calling out Alex Jones and Ed Martin for their corrupt use of the Department of Justice to harass Sandy Hook families and the heroic FBI agent who ran into that school to save any children he could, I am happy to learn that this so-called inquiry has now been withdrawn, if it ever existed at all,鈥� Mattei said in a statement.
Martin, who has been examining President Donald Trump鈥檚 claims of anti-conservative bias inside the Justice Department, has sent letters to a host of targets in other, unrelated matters, seeking information or making appeals. But it is unclear whether such requests have amounted to anything.
Jones posted a copy of the Sept. 15 letter on his X account Tuesday, saying 鈥淏reaking! The DOJ鈥檚 Task Force On Government Weaponization Against The American People Has Launched An Investigation Into The Democrat Party / FBI Directing Illegal Law-fare Against Alex Jones And Infowars.鈥�
The school shooting in Newtown, 黑料吃瓜网, on Dec. 14, 2012, killed 20 first graders and six educators. Jones, based in Austin, Texas, repeatedly called it a hoax and pushed false claims that it was staged by crisis actors in an effort to increase gun control. The Infowars host later said he believed the shooting was
At the 2022 defamation trial in 黑料吃瓜网, Aldenberg and relatives of many of the victims by people who believed Jones' conspiracy theories about the shooting.
Aldenberg was among the law enforcement officers who responded to the school, and during the trial about finding dead children and teachers.
Aldenberg did not respond to messages left at a phone number and email addresses listed for him in public records.
Jones recently to hear his appeal of the $1.4 billion judgment. He also is appealing a in similar lawsuit in Texas filed by two other parents of a child killed in Newtown. He has cited free speech and press rights in both cases.
He in late 2022. The Sandy Hook plaintiffs are now trying to in state court proceedings in Texas. Some of Jones' personal belongings also are being sold as part of the bankruptcy case.
Martin has been serving as head of the Justice Department鈥檚 鈥渨eaponization working group鈥� since his nomination for top federal prosecutor in Washington was pulled amid bipartisan concerns about his modest legal experience and his advocacy for Jan. 6 rioters.
Attorney General Pam Bondi created the group to scrutinize matters in which conservatives have claimed they were unfairly targeted or treated.
Martin was also recently named a special prosecutor to help conduct the separate mortgage fraud investigations into
