A popular far-right blog has filed for bankruptcy, though its founder vows to continue publishing. The Washington Post reports that the Gateway Pundit, run by Jim Hoft, is seeking Chapter 11 protections after a series of lawsuits accusing the site of promoting conspiracy theories on the 2020 election, school shootings, and other issues. "This is not an admission of fault or culpability," Hoft says in a release, blaming "progressive liberal lawfare attacks against our media outlet" for the decision. "This is a common tool for reorganization and to consolidate litigation when attacks are coming from all sides."
Among the complaints against the Gateway Pundit: a suit by Ruby Freeman and Wandrea "Shaye" Moss, Georgia election workers who say the blog sparked threats against them due to false claims of ballot fraud (the two women successfully sued former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani). NPR notes that Hoft's site also settled a suit from an ex-official at Dominion Voting Systems, which was similarly harassed after false claims of widespread election fraud.
Don't let the word "blog" downplay the influence that the Gateway Pundit has. "It pulls a lot of eyeballs," conservative-media analyst Howard Polskin tells the Post, noting that the blog ranks among the top 20 most-read right-wing sites. Per the bankruptcy filing, the Gateway Pundit claims between $100,001 and $500,000 in liabilities, and between $500,001 and $1 million in assets. Despite the bankruptcy setback, Hoft says in his release that the site "will not be deterred from our mission of remaining fearless and being one of the most trusted independent media outlets in America today." (More Gateway Pundit stories.)