Attorney General n announced an investigation Monday evening into Media Matters for possible fraudulent activity in response to the media watchdog group鈥檚 report last week that prompted companies to pull advertisements from X, the site formerly known as Twitter.
Earlier on Monday, X CEO Elon Musk in the Northern District of Texas against Media Matters, alleging the organization manipulated information it gathered to defame the social media company.
Paxton said his office would investigate allegations that Media Matters 鈥� which he referred to as a 鈥渞adical anti-free speech organization鈥� 鈥� had violated Texas laws protecting consumers from fraud.
鈥淲e 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,鈥� Paxton said in a statement Monday evening.
Two of Paxton鈥檚 former top lieutenants filed the lawsuit, former Solicitor General Judd Stone and former Assistant Attorney General Christopher Hilton. Stone and Hilton shortly after they successfully helped defend their former boss during Paxton鈥檚 impeachment trial.
Last Thursday Media Matters titled, 鈥淴 has been placing ads for Apple, Bravo, IBM, Oracle, and Xfinity next to pro-Nazi content.鈥� The story included examples of antisemitic and white nationalist content appearing near advertisements from major brands.
After the report, several companies, including IBM, Apple, Disney, NBCUniversal and others, announced decisions to suspend advertising on the platform.
Musk鈥檚 lawsuit asserts Media Matters 鈥� and the article鈥檚 author, senior investigative reporter Eric Hananoki, who is named as a defendant 鈥� falsely portrayed X as a risky, unsafe platform.
The petition alleges Media Matters 鈥渒nowingly and maliciously manufactured side-by-side images depicting advertisers鈥� posts鈥� on the social media platform next to white nationalist and antisemitic content. According to the lawsuit, the reporting misrepresented the average user鈥檚 experience on X in an effort to harm the social media company.
Media Matters did not immediately respond to a request for comment Monday evening.
X filed the lawsuit in Texas because Media Matters鈥� report potentially threatens the social media鈥檚 relationship with advertisers located in the state and millions of Texas users, according to court documents.
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