Texas Attorney General, Ken Paxton, has announced the opening of an investigation against the far-left organization, Media Matters, for "potential fraudulent activity." Paxton took the step after the lawsuit filed by Elon Musk, CEO of X - formerly known as Twitter - against Media Matters for manipulating data on the social network to harm it and cause the departure of advertisers and investors. Last Sunday, Missouri Attorney General, Andrew Bailey, had already announced on the same platform that his team is studying the case.
🚨 Today I opened an investigation into Media Matters for potential fraudulent activity after X CEO Elon Musk accused the left-wing media watchdog group of manipulating data on the social media platform. https://t.co/oL1UPNXzeo
— Attorney General Ken Paxton (@KenPaxtonTX) November 21, 2023
Paxton, 'extremely troubled'
In a press release from his Office, the attorney general indicated that he is "extremely troubled by the allegations that Media Matters, a radical anti-free speech organization, fraudulently manipulated data on X.com (formerly known as Twitter)." Paxton warned that "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."
We are examining the issue closely to ensure that the public has not been deceived by the schemes of radical left-wing organizations who would like nothing more than to limit freedom by reducing participation in the public square.
Major advertisers abandon X due to Media Matters campaign
Last Friday, Media Matters published an article accusing X of placing ads from well-known brands such as Apple, Oracle, IBM, Bravo, and Xfinity in close proximity to pro-Nazi publications. In response, these brands announced that they were withdrawing their advertising from the platform. Musk denounced the fraudulent method used by Media Matters to make its report go viral and announced that he would file "a thermonuclear lawsuit" against the far-left organization, something his company carried out yesterday.
Given the seriousness of the situation, Missouri Attorney General, Andrew Bailey, announced in a response to Elon Musk on X that his team "is looking into this matter."
Great!
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) November 19, 2023
Fraud has both civil & criminal penalties pic.twitter.com/BdC5Zfr1XM
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) November 21, 2023
