DOJ Probes Sandy Hook Witness William Aldenberg

In mid-September, Associate Deputy Attorney General Ed Martin sent a letter to attorney Christopher Mattei seeking information about retired FBI Special Agent William Aldenberg’s role in litigation against Alex Jones and warning that criminal laws bar government employees from acting for personal benefit. Aldenberg, a Sandy Hook first responder who testified in the defamation trials that found Jones liable and was awarded $90 million, was asked whether his testimony was in a personal capacity, whether he recused himself from FBI matters, and whether he or his counsel had ties to PR firm Berlin Rosen. Jones, who faces roughly $1.2–1.3 billion in Sandy Hook-related judgments, publicly posted the letter after posing with Martin days earlier and hailed the inquiry as a probe of Democrats and the FBI; the letter itself does not allege an active criminal investigation into the Democratic Party. Reporters, legal commentators, and victims’ advocates warned the move raised concerns about politicization of the Justice Department, potential intrusion on attorney-client privilege, and retaliation against witnesses and plaintiffs. Martin’s multiple DOJ roles, including leading the “Weaponization Working Group,” and the high-profile Sandy Hook judgments have framed the episode as part of a broader dispute over accountability, politics, and use of federal power.