Judge to Alex Jones: No Mistrial, for 'the 17th Time'

After Wednesday's surprise development in the Alex Jones trial—the revelation that his attorneys accidentally turned over two years' worth of Jones' texts to prosecutors—the defense asked for a mistrial on Thursday. But the judge, sounding a little exasperated, wasn't having it. “That’s like the 17th time or something,” said judge Maya Guerra Gamble, referring to mistrial requests on behalf of Jones, reports the Wall Street Journal. As a result, the jury is continuing with deliberations to determine how much Jones must pay the parents of a Sandy Hook victim over his since-disavowed claims that the massacre was a hoax. This is the first of three such trials to determine damages owed to Sandy Hook parents.

“We have a situation here that’s akin to me mistakenly giving him the key to a room and he opens the door to the room and instead of finding what he expected to find he sees other doors,” Jones attorney Andino Reynal argued Thursday in his push for a mistrial. Meanwhile, prosecutor Mark Bankston said he intends to comply with a request from the Jan. 6 House panel to turn over the texts, reports the New York Times. Among other things, the panel is investigating Jones' role in organizing a rally before the Capitol riot. "I certainly intend to do that, unless you tell me not to," Bankston told the judge on Thursday. (More Alex Jones stories.)