Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey has filed a lawsuit against leftist pro-censorship group Media Matters, accusing it of engaging in fraudulent business practices and refusing to cooperate with an ongoing investigation.
The lawsuit, filed by Attorney General Andrew Bailey, aims to compel Media Matters to submit documents related to the investigation into its alleged fraudulent activities. The investigation was initiated in November 2023 after evidence surfaced suggesting that Media Matters had solicited donations from Missourians under false pretenses. The organization’s alleged goal was to influence advertisers to withdraw from X/Twitter, formerly known as Twitter, which would be a direct violation of the Missouri Merchandising Practices Act.
Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey speaks to reporters after taking the oath of office in Jefferson City, Mo., on Tuesday, Jan. 3, 2023. (AP Photo/David A. Lieb)
In a press release, Attorney General Bailey stated, “My office has reason to believe Media Matters engaged in fraudulent activities to solicit donations from Missourians to intimidate advertisers into leaving X, the last social media platform committed to free speech in America.” He further emphasized his determination to prevent the activist group from obstructing the investigation, adding, “Should any attempt to defraud Missourians to infringe upon their free speech rights be confirmed, I will expose and penalize the responsible parties.”
The allegations against Media Matters include the deceitful manipulation of X/Twitter’s algorithm to associate advertisers’ content with deliberately contentious posts, resulting in significant financial losses for the platform as advertisers withdrew their investments. Media Matters has been openly critical of X/Twitter for its refusal to censor certain viewpoints.
The lawsuit elaborates, “Media Matters, which claims to be a ‘progressive research and information center,’ falls significantly short of this benign description. Far from merely ‘monitoring,’ Media Matters has engaged in fraudulent solicitation of donations from Missourians, aiming to convince advertisers to remove their ads from X, one of the final bastions of free speech in America.”
The Attorney General’s Office has issued a Civil Investigative Demand (CID) to Media Matters to investigate potential violations of the Missouri Merchandising Practices Act. Given Media Matters’ history of resistance to similar inquiries in other states and its explicit refusal to cooperate, the Attorney General is seeking a court order mandating Media Matters to comply with the CID within 20 days.
Read the full lawsuit here.
Lucas Nolan is a reporter for Breitbart News covering issues of free speech and online censorship.
