Alex Jones, the founder of the far-right InfoWars conspiracy theory outlet, urged the media Friday to “respectfully” cover him and his family amid a custody hearing over his three children.
“I urge the press to be respectful and responsible and to show due deference to the process of the law and respect boundaries defined for this case so that a fair result can be found,” Jones said in a statement, according to Business Insider. “Above all this is a private matter.”
“This is about my family and only my family. I have endeavored very faithfully for three years to keep this circumstance confidential for the sake of my children to protect their innocence.”
Jones has frequently promoted baseless conspiracy theories through InfoWars, arguing that the 2012 mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn., was in fact a staged “false flag” attack and alleging U.S. government involvement in the 9/11 attacks.
{mosads}Earlier this year, Jones apologized under legal pressure for promoting the “Pizzagate” conspiracy that falsely claimed a Washington, D.C. pizzeria hosted a ring of pedophiles and inspired a North Carolina man to open fire inside the business.
Kelly Jones, the media personality’s ex-wife, is currently battling him over custody of their 14-year-old son and two daughters, aged 12 and 9.
A jury will spend the next two weeks determining whether Alex Jones’s on-air persona differs from his private one while it decides if he is fit for parenting.
Randall Wilhite, Alex Jones’s lawyer, argued to a Texas judge Monday that his client is “playing a character” on his Infowars broadcast — a legal strategy that has attracted national attention, given Jones’s bizarre claims during InfoWars broadcasts.
Kelly Jones countered that her former husband is “not a stable person,” adding her children are often at home “watching him broadcast.”
Jones is a vocal supporter of President Trump, who has praised Jones and appeared on his show during the campaign.