Hunter Biden threatened to sue Fox News last week, accusing the network of “conspiracy and subsequent actions to defame” Biden “and paint him in a false light”—part of an aggressive strategy by the president’s son and his attorneys to fight back against years of Republican-led attacks.
U.S. President Joe Biden and his son Hunter Biden talk with guests during the White House Easter Egg ... [+]
The April 23 letter sent by Biden’s attorneys at the Los Angeles-based firm Geragos & Geragos cites two primary points of contention with Fox’s coverage: Its airing of unfounded bribery allegations lobbed by indicted FBI informant Alexander Smirnov and streaming service Fox Nation’s six-part “mock trial” of Hunter Biden on charges he has not been indicted for.
The letter points to hundreds of mentions in Fox News programs of Smirnov’s claims that Joe Biden and Hunter Biden each received $5 million from a Ukrainian energy company Hunter Biden sat on the board of in exchange for the then-vice president’s help in quashing Ukrainian prosecutors’ probe into the company—allegations that were never verified by the FBI and were effectively discredited when Smirnov was charged with routinely lying to the agency in February.
Biden’s lawyers say Fox continued to air the bribery allegations “in a brazen show of no remorse,” claiming the indictment was an “intimidation tactic” to silence whistleblowers.
The letter demands Fox retract and correct its coverage of the bribery claims, and remove from all streaming platforms the “mock trial” series that explores what prosecution against Biden for the bribery allegations and a violation of the Foreign Agents Registration Act might look like (crimes he has not been charged with).
The letter also accuses Fox of “unlawful publication of stolen intimate images” included in the “mock trial” series that show Hunter Biden nude and engaging in sex acts, alleging Fox “knows that these private and confidential images were hacked, stolen, and/or manipulated digital material” published “without Mr. Biden’s consent,” warning that he is entitled to compensatory and punitive damages, along with injunctive relief.
“For the last five years, Fox News has relentlessly attacked Hunter Biden and made him a caricature in order to boost ratings and for its financial gain,” Biden’s attorney, Mark Geragos said in a statement to Forbes.
Hunter Biden has been the subject of Republican attacks since his father’s 2020 campaign for president as GOP lawmakers have explored whether the president has made policy decisions to further his son’s foreign business interests. GOP-led House committees have collected mountains of financial documents, business records, witness testimony, and communications between Hunter Biden and his associates in their probe into the matter, but have not produced any solid evidence to prove the president engaged in any illegal or unethical behavior involving his son’s professional ventures. Smirnov’s indictment appears to have effectively derailed the GOP’s impeachment investigation that largely centered on his unfounded bribery claims. Separate from the Republican allegations against the president, Hunter Biden faces federal charges in Delaware accusing him of lying about his drug use on paperwork required to purchase a gun, and he was charged by federal prosecutors in California with nine counts related to his alleged failure to pay $1.4 million in taxes from 2016 to 2019.
It's unclear when—or if—Hunter Biden will ultimately file suit against Fox News. It's usually difficult to win a defamation lawsuit against a media outlet, as plaintiffs typically need to show the outlet knowingly ran false claims or acted with reckless disregard for the truth.
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