Attorney General Andrew Bailey (R-Mo.) announced that his office has launched an investigation into Media Matters for America, a left-leaning media "watchdog" group, for allegedly engaging in fraudulent practices in soliciting donations.
The investigation comes after a complaint was filed by the Attorney General's office, which claims that Media Matters may have violated the state's consumer protection laws.
“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 Bailey in a statement. “I’m fighting to ensure progressive tyrants masquerading as news outlets cannot manipulate the marketplace in order to wipe out free speech.”
Bailey's complaint alleges that these actions could constitute a violation of the Missouri Merchandising Practices Act, which protects consumers from unfair and deceptive business practices.
Media Matters for America has not yet responded to the announcement of the investigation. If the Attorney General's office finds evidence of wrongdoing, the organization could face fines and other penalties under Missouri law.
Bailey's investigation follows the announcement by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton (R) that Paxton had launched an investigation into Media Matters for potential fraudulent activity.
Paxton cited the Texas Business Organizations Code and the Deceptive Trade Practices Act as the legal basis for this inquiry, which was fueled by concerns that Media Matters "may have engaged in fraudulent manipulation of data on X.com, formerly known as Twitter," reported Legal Newsline.
Both Bailey's and Paxton’s actions follow X Corp's filing of a lawsuit against Media Matters, alleging intentional harm to its advertising business.
X Corp's lawsuit, filed in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Texas Fort Worth Division, accused Media Matters of orchestrating a deceptive campaign to portray X Corp as a hub for "white nationalist and anti-Semitic conspiracy theories.”