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- Lawyers for Hunter: Smirnov indictment shows Fox fueled 'disinformation'
- Prosecutors: Smirnov told FBI mendacious info astir Biden's concern dealings
- White House antecedently said Fox didn't close its reporting connected allegations
Hunter Biden departs aft a closed doorway backstage deposition with House committees starring the President Biden impeachment inquiry, connected Capitol Hill, Wednesday, Feb. 28, 2024, successful Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
(NewsNation) — Lawyers for President Joe Biden’s lad Hunter accidental they program to writer Fox News “imminently,” according to a missive obtained by NewsNation.
“For the past 5 years, Fox News has relentlessly attacked Hunter Biden and made him a caricature successful bid to boost ratings and for its fiscal gain,” his attorney, Mark Geragos, said successful a statement. “The caller indictment of FBI informant (Alexander) Smirnov has exposed the conspiracy of disinformation that has been fueled by Fox, enabled by their paid agents and monetized by the Fox enterprise. We program connected holding them accountable.”
Prosecutors allege Smirnov, 43, falsely told his FBI handler that executives from the Ukrainian vigor institution Burisma paid the president and Hunter Biden astir $5 cardinal each astir 2015. Smirnov has pleaded not blameworthy to charges against him. Charging documents accidental Smirnov provided “false and derogatory information” to national agents astir some Bidens successful 2020.
Smirnov’s claims are the main absorption of a GOP-led House impeachment enquiry into Joe Biden that has remained stalled. Last month, Republican Rep. James Comer, president of the House Oversight and Accountability Committee, announced that helium wants to question grounds from President Biden himself, accusing him of being either “complicit oregon incompetent” successful Hunter Biden’s concern dealings.
White House officials person antecedently demanded Fox News retract its sum of bribery allegations, saying they are “false,” NewsNation spouse The Hill reported. In a missive to Fox News obtained by The Hill successful March, White House peculiar adjunct to the president Ian Sams said that citing the fig of times Jesse Watters and Sean Hannity promoted Smirnov’s accusations would instrumentality “multiple pages.”
“As you of people present know, the root of this allegation has been federally indicted for making the full happening up,” Sams wrote. “Despite this, Fox has taken nary steps to retract, correct, oregon update its reporting connected this mendacious allegation from 2023.”
After analyzing transcripts successful the Kinetiq video database for each archetypal programming connected Fox News Channel, Media Matters, a left-leaning journalism watchdog group, determined the outlet had mentioned Hunter Biden astatine slightest 13,440 times since Jan. 3, 2023. Media Matters besides said Comer had appeared connected Fox weekday programs astatine slightest 137 times since the commencement of this legislature term.
However, Fox’s references to Hunter Biden person fallen each period successful 2024, going from 786 successful January to lone 60 arsenic of precocious April.
NewsNation has reached retired to Fox for comment.
Fox News has seen different ineligible challenges successful caller years. In April 2023, the channel reached a colony with Dominion Voting Systems. Dominion, successful a defamation lawsuit, stated Fox News and its genitor institution bulldozed the voting company’s concern and subjected employees to threats by falsely implicating it successful a bogus conspiracy to rig the 2020 predetermination against erstwhile President Donald Trump. Fox responded by saying it reported connected Trump’s challenges to the predetermination results. Still, the quality transmission agreed to wage Dominion $787.5 million.
Another institution that produces voting machines, Smartmatic, besides sued Fox over mendacious claims made by the network’s hosts. A justice successful January tossed retired Fox News’ claims that Smartmatic is trying to suppress its escaped speech, meaning the suit volition proceed to an eventual trial.
Hunter Biden, meanwhile, has been charged with 9 felony and misdemeanor taxation offenses filed successful Los Angeles and has pleaded not blameworthy to them. Attorney Abbe Lowell said the indictment against Hunter Biden, which accuses him of scheming to debar paying $1.4 cardinal successful taxes portion surviving an extravagant lifestyle, was politically motivated. U.S. District Judge Mark Scarsi, however, ruled successful April of this twelvemonth that determination is small enactment for these claims.
“Defendant fails to contiguous a tenable inference, fto unsocial wide evidence, of discriminatory effect and discriminatory purpose,” helium wrote.
Hunter Biden’s ineligible squad maintained that the handling of the lawsuit was abnormal.
“We powerfully disagree with the court’s determination and volition proceed to vigorously prosecute Mr. Biden’s challenges,” Lowell said successful a statement.
NewsNation integer shaper Steph Whiteside and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
