US far-right outlet Gateway Pundit declares bankruptcy

Website announces bankruptcy amid multiple defamation lawsuits related to 2020 presidential election.

Gateway Pundit, a far-right outlet known for promoting the conspiracy theory that the 2020 US presidential election was rigged, has declared bankruptcy as it battles a string of defamation lawsuits.

Jim Hoft, the outlet’s founder, said in a statement on Wednesday that parent company TGP Communications had filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection “as a result of the progressive liberal lawfare attacks against our media outlet”.

“This is not an admission of fault or culpability. This is a common tool for reorganization and to consolidate litigation when attacks are coming from all sides. It allows TGP to consolidate this lawfare in one court for ultimate resolution,” Hoft said in a statement on Gateway Pundit.

“Despite the radical left’s efforts to silence The Gateway Pundit through censorship, de-platforming, de-banking, cut-off from advertisers, and other financial strategies, we will not be deterred from our mission of remaining fearless and being one of the most trusted independent media outlets in America today. We do not expect that to change.”

Gateway Pundit has been sued by multiple parties for propagating false and defamatory claims, including two poll workers in Georgia and a former employee of a voting machine company who were accused of helping rig the 2020 election in favour of President Joe Biden.

Launched in 2004, Gateway Pundit became one of the most influential news sources in conservative and far-right circles, at one point ranking among the top 50 English-language news sites globally.

Apart from denying the outcome of the 2020 election, the website has promoted numerous falsehoods over the years, including misidentifying the perpetrator of the 2017 Las Vegas shooting and claiming that former President Barack Obama was not born in the United States.

In 2021, Google cut off online advertisement revenues for Gateway Pundit due to “persistent policy violations” of its misinformation policies.