Hunter Biden is taking legal action against Fox News for publishing sexually explicit images that he claims are private. The letter sent by his attorneys alleges conspiracy to defame and the unlawful publication of hacked images. Hunter Biden’s legal team is demanding corrections and retractions on air and in online articles regarding claims of a bribery scheme involving President Joe Biden and his son. While Hunter Biden has not yet sued Fox News, his lawyers are anticipating taking that step as part of their strategy to fight back against conservative media.
In response to the attacks and allegations, Hunter Biden’s legal team has adopted an aggressive legal and public relations strategy. This has initially raised anxiety among some of President Biden’s political advisers, but the president has publicly defended his son. Hunter Biden is currently facing gun and tax charges in Delaware and California, to which he has pleaded not guilty. Despite these criminal charges, Hunter Biden is actively defending himself against the onslaught of attacks through legal means.
Fox News aired a mock trial of Hunter Biden on its streaming platform Fox Nation in 2022, focusing on unproven bribery allegations and publishing intimate images of him. Hunter Biden’s attorneys have demanded that Fox immediately remove the series from all streaming platforms as the explicit images were hacked, stolen, or manipulated digital material. The publication of these images is said to have violated state laws against the nonconsensual disclosure of sexually explicit images, also known as ‘revenge porn’ laws.
In addition to the explicit images, Hunter Biden’s attorneys also take issue with Fox News publishing articles on the bribery allegations based on information from an FBI informant who was recently indicted for allegedly lying to investigators about Hunter Biden. The informant, Alexander Smirnov, has pleaded not guilty to the charges and is set to face trial in December. Hunter Biden’s legal team accuses Fox News of initially remaining silent on news of Smirnov’s indictment, despite it rendering their prior reporting on the allegations highly misleading.
The letter demands that Fox News issue editor’s notes to online articles to inform readers of the indictment of the FBI informant. It also calls for prominent Fox News hosts like Sean Hannity, Maria Bartiromo, and Jesse Watters to inform their viewers on air that they have been sharing a debunked allegation from a source who has been federally indicted. The bribery allegations have been central to the GOP’s impeachment inquiry into President Biden, with Republican lawmakers reportedly lacking the votes to impeach him. Despite the challenges, Hunter Biden and his legal team are taking a proactive approach to defend against attacks from conservative media outlets like Fox News.
