The White House has requested Fox News to retract reports concerning corruption and bribery allegations against Democrat President Joe Biden and his family. The demand was made in a letter sent to Fox News’s leadership this week by White House spokesperson Ian Sams. The reports in question focus on accusations that the president and his son, Hunter Biden, accepted millions of dollars in bribes from foreign countries to leverage their influence in Washington D.C. Allegations include claims that Biden, while serving as vice president, pressured Ukraine to dismiss its top prosecutor who was investigating Burisma Holdings, a corrupt Ukrainian energy company.
Hunter Biden, with no prior experience in the energy sector, coincidentally sat on the company’s board during this time. An FBI informant suggested that there was more to the story, alleging that both Joe Biden and Hunter Biden received $5 million each in exchange for the prosecutor’s dismissal. House Oversight and Judiciary Committee investigators further probed the claims by examining bank records of Biden family members, revealing substantial sums of money from foreign nationals, including Ukraine, flowing into Biden accounts.
However, the Department of Justice (DOJ) under President Biden has now targeted the information provided by this FBI informant.
Alexander Smirnov, the informant, has recently been indicted by the DOJ. According to the DOJ, Smirnov was allegedly working for the Russians when he claimed to have received the bribery allegation involving Biden from Russian intelligence personnel. The DOJ now asserts that the allegation was fabricated.
Consequently, the White House is urging Fox to retract its coverage of the supposed bribery scheme. In a letter, the White House criticized Fox for failing to take any action to retract, correct, or update its reporting on this false allegation from 2023. The letter called on Fox to withdraw its coverage.
Sams wrote:
“We feel strongly that all Fox News Digital articles on this topic should at a minimum be updated with editor’s notes informing readers that the source of this allegation has been federally indicted for making it up.
“We also feel strongly that Fox News Channel television personalities like Hannity and Watters, among others, should inform their viewers on air that they have been sharing a discredited allegation from a source who has been federally indicted for making it up.”
A Fox spokesperson responded by saying:
“Fox News Media has reported on all key developments since the announcement that Alexander Smirnov was charged with lying to the FBI, featuring the story prominently.
“We will continue to report on developments in all aspects of the ongoing investigations, hearings, and trials.”
