Elon Musk’s social media platform, X Corp., is suing the left-leaning pressure group Media Matters after a report that stated X allowed antisemitic posts next to advertising.

The lawsuit, filed in a federal court in Texas on Monday, claims that Media Matters “manipulated” data in what X says is an attempt to “destroy” his company. After Media Matters wrote that ads for leading U.S. companies were appearing next to content relating to Nazism and Holocaust denial, a slew of such companies pulled their ads from X, the site formerly known as Twitter.

Some of those companies include IBM Corp, Apple Inc., Walt Disney Co., Sony Group Corp. and Comcast Corp. The day before the research was published, Musk was accused of amplifying an antisemitic conspiracy theory. Musk later called such allegations “bogus.” It seems this, and the Media Matters have together led to the advertising exodus from X. Even the White House aired criticism against Musk, rebuking Musk for promoting “antisemitic rhetoric.”

Shortly after the findings were published, Musk promised that a “thermonuclear lawsuit” was in the pipeline. With two words, he summed his opinion of Media Matters as “pure evil,” stating that in a court of law, “We will win.”

“Media Matters knowingly and maliciously manufactured side-by-side images depicting advertisers’ posts on X Corp’s social media platform beside Neo-Nazi and white-nationalist fringe content and then portrayed these manufactured images as if they were what typical X users experience on the platform,” the lawsuit states. “Media Matters designed both these images and its resulting media strategy to drive advertisers from the platform and destroy X Corp.”

Angelo Carusone, the president of Media Matters, immediately issued a response to the statement, calling the lawsuit “frivolous” and stating that X was trying to bully its “critics into silence.” He said he stands behind the research and “looks forward” to when the two entities clash in court.

On Monday night, Ken Paxton, the Texas attorney general, said he is opening an investigation into Media Matters for potential fraudulent activity, promising that his office will “vigorously enforce against nonprofits who commit fraudulent acts.”

Linda Yaccarino, a former advertising executive and now X’s chief executive, said she believes Media Matters committed fraud. “If you know me, you know I’m committed to truth and fairness,” she posted on X. “Data wins over manipulation or allegations. Don’t be manipulated. Stand with X.”

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