JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – Today, Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey put Media Matters for America on notice that his office has launched an investigation into its allegedly fraudulent solicitation of donations from Missourians amidst its efforts to target X, formerly known as Twitter.
"We have reason to believe Media Matters used fraud to solicit donations from Missourians in order to trick advertisers into pulling out of X, the last platform dedicated to free speech in America. Radicals are attempting to kill Twitter because they cannot control it, and we are not going to let Missourians get ripped off in the process,"
said Attorney General Bailey. "I'm fighting to ensure progressive tyrants masquerading as news outlets cannot manipulate the marketplace in order to wipe out free speech."
In his letter, Attorney General Bailey puts Media Matters on notice, "This letter serves as a formal document hold notice under federal and Missouri law. The Missouri Attorney General's Office has opened an investigation into Media Matters for America ("Media Matters") regarding your firm's potentially unlawful business practices.
"As you are no doubt aware, a federal lawsuit has been filed against Media Matters, raising serious allegations that your firm falsely and deceptively manipulated the algorithm on X (formerly known as Twitter) through coordinated, inauthentic behavior and that you did so in an attempt to defame the organization and cause advertisers to pull their support from the platform, thus harming free speech. The lawsuit alleges that you lied to the public, falsely suggesting that fringe, extremist content regularly appears next to content from corporate advertisers when in fact the opposite is true. At the same time, you appear to have used this coordinated, inauthentic activity to solicit charitable donations from consumers across the country."
He continued, "I have reason to believe that your firm's alleged actions may have violated Missouri consumer protection laws, including laws that prohibit nonprofit entities from soliciting funds under false pretenses. E.g., Mo. Rev. Stat. § 407.020.1. I am especially concerned that Media Matters' actions, if proven true, have hampered free speech by targeting an expressly pro free speech social media platform in an attempt to cause it financial harm while defrauding Missourians in the process.
"You are thus hereby instructed to preserve all records that may relate to your alleged effort to engage in coordinated, inauthentic behavior on social media platforms in order to generate false statements that were used to solicit charitable contributions under false pretenses. "
Attorney General Bailey is requesting records related to:
- Internal communications regarding Media Matters' strategy to target advertisers on X, formerly known as Twitter, and their efforts to manipulate those advertisers into pulling their ads from the platform.
- Communications with third parties regarding Media Matters' strategy to target advertisers on X, formerly known as Twitter, and their efforts to manipulate those advertisers into pulling their ads from the platform.
- Communications with IBM, Lions Gate Entertainment, Apple, Disney, Warner Brothers Discovery, Paramount Gold, NBCUniversal, Comcast, Sony, Ubisoft and Wal-Mart regarding Media Matters' strategy to target advertisers on X, formerly known as Twitter, and their efforts to manipulate those advertisers into pulling their ads from the platform.
- Internal communications regarding Media Matters' policies, strategies or operations related to generating stories or content intended to "cancel," "deplatform," "demonetize," or otherwise interfere with businesses or organizations located in Missouri, or utilized by Missouri residents.
- Communications and documents related to soliciting charitable funds from residents of Missouri
The full letter can be read
here.
