Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., urged reporters Wednesday not to report on conspiracy theorist Alex Jones because the media attention turns these “crazy people” into “superstars.”
“I know you’ve got to cover them, but you give these guys way too much attention,” Rubio said of Jones, according to CNN. “We’re making crazy people superstars. So, we going to get crazier people.”
Rubio, to reporters, on the Alex Jones interaction, via @tedbarrettcnn: “I know you’ve got to cover them, but you give these guys way too much attention. We’re making crazy people superstars. So, we going to get crazier people.”
— Phil Mattingly (@Phil_Mattingly) September 5, 2018
Jones, the founder of InfoWars, clashed with Rubio earlier the day, calling Rubio a “little gangster thug” and a “frat boy” outside of a Senate Intelligence Committee hearing on Capitol Hill with Facebook and Twitter executive Wednesday morning.
The encounter happened as Rubio was speaking with members of the media. Jones asked him about “Democrats purging conservatives” from social media platforms.
WATCH: Marco Rubio and Alex Jones Confrontation Nearly Come to Blows: “I’ll Take Care Of You Myself” https://t.co/Q1SddtxGSg
— Evan Rosenfeld (@Evan_Rosenfeld) September 5, 2018
Rubio claimed that he did not know who Jones was and what InfoWars was, and warned Jones not to touch him again after Jones put a hand on his shoulder.
