X files antitrust suit against shadowy ad cartel for allegedly coordinating ‘illegal boycott’

Elon Musk’s X filed a bombshell antitrust lawsuit Tuesday against a left-leaning advertising cartel and several member companies, alleging the group targeted the social media site with an illegal ad boycott.

In an open letter addressed to advertisers on X, CEO Linda Yaccarino said the lawsuit takes aim at the Global Alliance for Responsible Media — a shadowy group that has come under heavy scrutiny following a damning report by the House Judiciary Committee that accused GARM and its members of coordinating an effort to suppress online free speech and restricts ads to a slew of news outlets, including The Post.

“This is not a decision we took lightly, but it is a direct consequence of their actions,” Yaccarino wrote. “The illegal behavior of these organizations and their executives cost X billions of dollars.”

The suit, filed in Texas, also names GARM parent firm World Federation of Advertisers (WFA) and members that include CVS Health, Mars, Orsted and Unilever.

“To put it simply, people are hurt when the marketplace of ideas is undermined and some viewpoints are not funded over others as part of an illegal boycott,” Yaccarino said.

“This behavior is a stain on a great industry, and cannot be allowed to continue.”

The lawsuit seeks trebled compensatory damages and injunctive relief, according to a copy of the complaint viewed by The Post.

GARM, led by radical boss Robert Rakowitz, is an initiative of the WFA, which represents dozens of the world’s largest companies and ad organizations, including the likes of Disney and Coca-Cola.

Its members control 90% of global marketing spending, amounting to nearly $1 trillion per year, according to the House Judiciary Committee’s report.

“This case is about more than damages — we have to fix a broken ecosystem that allows this illegal activity to occur,” Yaccarino added.

The Post reached out to Rakowitz and the WFA for comment.

CVS Health, Orsted, Mars and Unilever did not immediately respond to calls for comment.

Much of the House committee’s scrutiny fell on Rakowitz.

Lawmakers obtained internal emails, including one in which Rakowitz appeared to brag that X was “80% below revenue forecasts” since GARM targeted Musk over brand safety issues.

Rakowitz later claimed the email was meant as a “self-effacing joke.”

The House committee’s probe focused on whether GARM and its members violated Section 1 of the Sherman Antitrust Act, which governs illegal restraint of trade.

Sources previously told The Post that the panel was considering whether to make an official referral to the Justice Department.

GARM is alleged to have steered ad dollars away from a number of other right-leaning outlets, including Fox News and comedian Joe Rogan’s podcast “The Joe Rogan Experience.”

GARM has pushed back on the claims, with a spokesperson previously asserting that the committee’s allegations of anti-competitive behavior are “unfounded.”

As The Post reported last week, the House Judiciary Committee sent letters to more than 40 major companies demanding more information about whether they colluded to defund news outlets and platforms that allowed political views with which they disagreed.

Adidas, American Express, Bayer, BP, Carhartt, Chanel, CVS and General Motors were among the companies that received letters requesting that they preserve documents and provide information related to their dealings with GARM.

“The Committee has learned that collusive activity is occurring within the Global Alliance for Responsible Media, of which your company is a member,” the letter began.

“In particular, the Committee has uncovered evidence of coordinated action by GARM and its member companies, including boycotts of disfavored social media platforms, podcasts, and news outlets,” the letter added.

At least two Republican state attorneys general are known to be examining evidence surfaced by the House report and weighing possible legal action against the cabal’s members.