US Justice Department official ordered to drop inquiry into Sandy Hook lawsuit against Alex Jones

By DAVE COLLINS and ALANNA DURKIN RICHER 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 Alex Jones conspiracy theories about the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting a person familiar with the matter stated Wednesday Related Articles Trump s workforce purge batters DC s job industry and leads to rise in homes for sale description finds Biden offered soundness insurance access to DACA immigrants Trump took it away Developers say on-again off-again tariffs are making it complex to predict prices and kick off projects Lawmakers and activists call for action after AP reveals US tech role in China s surveillance state Trump s Rose Garden Club is a lavish new hangout for political allies and business elites Ed Martin Jr who leads the Justice Department s weaponization working group sent a letter dated Sept to the Sandy Hook families lawyer asking for information about former FBI agent William Aldenberg who responded to the school shooting and was a plaintiff in the lawsuit along with casualties relatives that led to a billion judgment against Jones for calling the massacre a hoax Martin s letter suggested that he was looking into whether Aldenberg broke a federal law by receiving financial benefits for helping to organize the lawsuit Jones who disclosed he met with Martin last week in Washington has accused Democrats and Justice Department bureaucrats 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 within the Justice Department and Blanche directed Martin to withdraw the letter stated the person familiar with the matter who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss internal agency matters Mattei stated he received a new letter from Martin on Wednesday that declared there was no inspection of Aldenberg and I hereby withdraw my request for information Less than 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who ran into that school to save any children he could I am happy to learn that this so-called inquiry has now been withdrawn if it ever existed at all Mattei announced in a declaration Martin who has been examining President Donald Trump s contends of anti-conservative bias inside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 FILE Conspiracy theorist Alex Jones takes the witness stand to testify at the Sandy Hook defamation damages trial at Connecticut Superior Court in Waterbury Conn Sept Tyler Sizemore Hearst Connecticut Media via AP Pool File Jones posted a copy of the Sept letter on his X account Tuesday saying Current The DOJ s Task Force On Administration Weaponization Against The American People Has Launched An Inspection Into The Democrat Party FBI Directing Illegal Law-fare Against Alex Jones And Infowars The school shooting in Newtown Connecticut on Dec killed first graders and six educators Jones based in Austin Texas repeatedly called it a hoax and pushed false maintains that it was staged by situation actors in an effort to increase gun control The Infowars host later declared he presumed the shooting was real At the defamation trial in Connecticut Aldenberg and relatives of a multitude of of the casualties testified about being subjected to threats and abuse by people who presumed Jones conspiracy theories about the shooting FILE FBI agent William Aldenberg tries to compose himself while testifying during the first day of Alex Jones Sandy Hook defamation damages trial at Waterbury Superior Court Sept in Waterbury Conn H John Voorhees III Hearst Connecticut Media via AP File Aldenberg was among the law enforcement officers who responded to the school and he broke down while testifying 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 populace records Jones in the last few days questioned the U S Supreme Court to hear his appeal of the billion judgment He also is appealing a million judgment 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 filed for bankruptcy in late The Sandy Hook plaintiffs are now trying to liquidate Infowars assets in state court proceedings in Texas Chosen of Jones personal belongings also are being sold as part of the bankruptcy matter FILE Attorneys Joshua Koskoff left and Christopher Mattei right representing parents rear of children killed in the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting speak outside the Connecticut Supreme Court Sept in Hartford Conn AP Photo Dave Collins File Martin has been serving as head of the Justice Department s weaponization working group since his nomination for top federal prosecutor in Washington was pulled amid bipartisan concerns about his modest legal experience and his advocacy for Jan 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 in recent weeks named a special prosecutor to help conduct the separate mortgage fraud investigations into Democratic New York Attorney General Letitia James and U S Sen Adam Schiff