Far-right extremist and Sandy Hook denier Alex Jones claimed he was “too stressed out” to spell his own name during testimony before the January 6 House select committee, according to his interview transcript.
The committee investigating the Capitol riot released a trove of interview transcripts from 34 Donald Trump supporters and allies on Wednesday, ahead of the release of the full report on Thursday.
All 34 witnesses pleaded the Fifth throughout part – if not all – of their interviews in a refusal to cooperate with the probe.
When Mr Jones testified before the panel on 24 January 2022, the right-wing conspiracy theorist largely followed the pattern of his right-wing allies but at points couldn’t resist speaking – much to his attorney’s despair.
In one bizarre moment at the start of his testimony, Mr Jones claimed he couldn’t spell his own middle name because he was “so stressed out”.
The panel had asked Mr Jones to spell his middle name – Emerick – for the record, the transcript reveals.
“You guys know what my name is. It’s on the record,” he initially responded.
When the interviewer told him that it was for the benefit of the court reporter, Mr Jones replied: “E-m, I’m so stressed out, I can’t even spell it for you so –.”
Later in the interview, the Infowars host also launched into a rant about Rep Adam Schiff.
Mr Jones was asked if he was going to continue to plead the Fifth, when he fired back with the false claim that he was doing it because “Adam Schiff forges documents”.
Mr Jones’ lawyer Norm Pattis tried to silence his client to no avail, with the conspiracy theorist continuing: “I don’t trust Congressman Schiff. He’ll forge documents….
“I want to tell you guys everything, but I don’t trust Congressman Schiff.”
“Alex, may we have a moment, please?” Mr Pattis asked.
Mr Jones responded: “Yeah. I don’t even know how to control this stuff, Norm. It’s a different system than I have.”
Mr Pattis was forced to interject at other points of the testimony as Mr Jones repeatedly broke rank from his advice to plead the Fifth.
Another such time came when Mr Jones was asked about a text message he received from “Stop the Steal” organiser Ali Alexander on 20 December 2020.
“Potus deciding in the next 24 to 48 hours if he wants to go ALL THE WAY,” the message read.
When asked what he thought “all the way” meant, Mr Jones responded: “Just a point of technology.”
“Objection. Objection. Mr Jones,” Mr Pattis interjected.
During the roughly hour-long interview, Mr Jones was questioned about his attendance at “Stop the Steal” rallies in November and December 2020 and his connection to and communications with other right-wing figures including Mr Alexander, white supremacist Nick Fuentes, longtime Trump ally Roger Stone and members of the Proud Boys and Oath Keepers.
The panel also questioned Mr Jones about his involvement in planning and funding an event in Washington DC on January 6.
The right-wing conspiracy theorist was also presented with footage showing him walking to the Capitol on January 6, where he was telling others that Mr Trump would be turning up to speak there.
The panel suggested that the footage – and statements he made on his radio show – were “incriminating” and asked if he was aware of plans from some Oath Keepers to storm the Capitol.
Oath Keeper leader Stewart Rhodes appeared on Mr Jones’ show prior to January 6, the panel pointed out. Mr Rhodes was convicted of conspiracy charges over the Capitol riot.
The transcript shows that the panel also presented him with a clip from his show on 31 December 2020.
The clip did not feature Mr Jones but fellow host Matt Bracken saying: “We’re going to only be saved by millions of Americans moving to Washington, occupying the entire area, if – if necessary storming right into the Capitol.
“You know, they’re – we know the rules of engagement. If you have enough people, you can push down any kind of a fence or a wall.”
Mr Jones’ pleaded the Fifth when presented with these questions and videos.
The right-wing conspiracy theorist was one of 34 witnesses whose testimony was released on Wednesday by the House committee.
Others included Mr Stone, Mr Fuentes, and the leaders of far-right groups the Oath Keepers and the Proud Boys.
The transcripts are the first of hundreds of interviews gathered throughout the 17-months-long investigation to be released to the public.
The full report will be released on Thursday after being postponed on Wednesday due to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s surprise visit to Washington DC.
In its final public hearing earlier this week, the panel announced it was making criminal referrals to the DOJ including recommending four charges against Mr Trump.
The report – based on more than 1,000 interviews and documents such as texts, emails, and phone records – will detail the reasons behind these recommendations.
