Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey (R) is asking a state court to enforce a civil investigative demand as part of his investigation into potential advertising fraud committed by the left-wing non-profit Media Matters for America in a campaign against Elon Musk’s X (formerly Twitter). The civil investigative demand — which functions similarly to a subpoena — would clear the way for Bailey to investigate the Democrat-aligned non-profit for potential violations of the Missouri Merchandising Practices Act.
“Media Matters has used fraud to solicit donations from Missourians in order to trick advertisers into removing their advertisements from X, formerly Twitter, one of the last platforms dedicated to free speech in America,” wrote the Missouri Attorney General in the court filing. He added: “Media Matters has pursued an activist agenda in its attempt to destroy X because they cannot control it.”
The Missouri Merchandising Practice Act covers “any deception, fraud, false pretense, false promise, misrepresentation, unfair practice or the concealment, suppression, or omission of any material fact” used by non-profit groups to solicit monetary contributions from state residents. Bailey’s office alleges that Media Matters for America engaged “through coordinated, inauthentic behavior” in a campaign to “defame the organization [X] and cause advertisers to pull their support from the platform, thus harming free speech.” He additionally alleges the group used their campaign to raise money from Missouri residents under false pretenses.
