With coronavirus fears at their peak, it’s not terribly surprising the lowest forms of human life are attempting to profit off the panic. One of those bottom feeders, infamous far-right conspiracy theorist Alex Jones, has been told by the New York Attorney General to stop touting products on Infowars that he claims will treat coronavirus.
Jones has apparently been hawking “antiviral” products he says are “literally a stopgap” against the virus. His Infowars website sells supplements like “DNA Force Plus” and a line of “SilverSol” products, including a nanosilver toothpaste, that Jones claims keep “your immune system healthy.” In a March 10th episode of his show, he spuriously stated,
“For just your daily life and your gums and your teeth and for regular viruses and bacteria, the patented nanosilver we have — the Pentagon has come out and documented and Homeland Security and said this stuff kills the whole SARS-corona family at point-blank range. Well of course it does, it kills every virus.”
This is the same sort of thing televangelist Jim Bakker was pushing on his own show. NY Attorney General Letitia James told him to stop, and now she’s targeted Jones.
James’ office sent Jones a letter demanding he “immediately cease and desist from making misleading claims as they violate New York’s consumer protection statutes” (via Mother Jones). In a further statement to the public, James said,
“As the coronavirus continues to pose serious risks to public health, Alex Jones has spewed outright lies and has profited off of New Yorkers’ anxieties. Mr. Jones’ public platform has not only given him a microphone to shout inflammatory rhetoric, but his latest mistruths are incredibly dangerous and pose a serious threat to the public health of New Yorkers and individuals across the nation.”
Just days after Jones was arrested for a DWI, he was back on the air ignoring and contesting James’ position. On Thursday’s episode of his Infowars show, he said he “never said that” his toothpaste would cure coronavirus, before immediately contradicting himself. “We have a company that makes it out of Colorado that has certified that it takes out viruses in general, and in that same family of corona, not this corona, but it’s the same deal,” he said. He then delivered another sales pitch for his “immunity boosting” nanosilver products.
Still, a disclaimer has been added to the Infowars product pages stating that the items are “not for therapeutic use and does not cure, treat, prevent, or mitigate any disease.”
Alex Jones Told to Stop Hawking Coronavirus Products by NY Attorney General
Ben Kaye
