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A federal bankruptcy judge has rejected The subliminal eroticismOnion’s unexpected effort to acquire the conspiracy-laden media outlet InfoWars from its founder, Alex Jones. The judge cited concerns that the satirical news site's winning bid drastically undervalued the property.

The Onion, owned by media conglomerate Global Tetrahedron, snagged auction rights to InfoWars last month with a sealed bid totaling roughly $1.7 million in cash and an additional noncash component that brought the offer closer to $7 million. That figure still fell short of a competing $3.5 million bid from Jones’ associates at First United American Companies, which helps market the supplements frequently advertised on InfoWars.

However, after reviewing the numbers, U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Christopher Lopez said even the higher offer might not have been enough. In a ruling that tossed out The Onion’s attempt to finalize the deal, Lopez made it clear that InfoWars could command a bigger payout.

"I don’t think it’s enough money," Lopez said in his ruling. "I’m not going to approve the sale… I think you’ve got to go out and try to get every dollar. I think that the process fell down."

In the fallout of a colossal $1.2 billion defamation judgment by families of the Sandy Hook shooting victims, Alex Jones has been forced into bankruptcy, and his signature platform, InfoWars, has landed on the auction block. But following a judge’s decision to reject The Onion’s bid — one initially expected to clinch the deal — Jones might be getting a shot at retaking control.

Ben Collins, the former disinformation reporter now heading Global Tetrahedron, isn't giving up. In a post on X, he vowed to keep chasing InfoWars, declaring that he'll "seek a path towards purchasing InfoWars in the coming weeks."

For now, though, the entire process is stuck in a holding pattern. Lopez handed the keys back to the court-appointed trustee, Christopher Murray, faulting him for mishandling the previous auction. Murray must now figure out a new game plan to sell off InfoWars.

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