Staff Reports
Fox News has agreed to remove a special program from its streaming platform about Hunter Biden, the son of President Joe Biden, after facing legal threats from his attorneys. The show, titled “The Trial of Hunter Biden,” was taken down from Fox Nation in response to the concerns raised by Biden’s legal team. The program featured a mock trial in which Hunter Biden was portrayed as a criminal defendant and teased a “riveting look at the unresolved legal situation” surrounding him.
On Monday, lawyers representing Hunter Biden announced their intention to file a defamation lawsuit against Fox News, citing the network’s airing of blurred photos of nude Hunter Biden as a violation of “revenge porn” laws. The attorneys claimed that the images were private and confidential material that had been hacked or stolen. They sent a letter to Fox News threatening legal action and demanded the removal of the program.
Fox rips "The Trial of Hunter Biden" off their streaming service The show’s removal came after Biden’s lawyers demanded
Fox immediately remove or face lawsuit —🎥🍿🍿🍿 pic.twitter.com/lAIaIdHIrI
— April Color (@ColorApril) May 1, 2024
The lawsuit targeting Fox News is said to be part of Hunter Biden’s strategy to publicly oppose conservative media. The network initially defended its coverage of Hunter Biden, stating that it was protected speech. In response to the legal threats, Fox News issued a statement asserting that Hunter Biden is a public figure who has been the subject of investigations and has admitted to wrongdoing.
In addition to demanding the removal of the program, Hunter Biden’s legal team also sought a retraction of Fox News’ reporting about a former FBI asset who claimed to have firsthand knowledge of alleged Biden family corruption. The FBI asset, Alexander Smirnov, has been charged with making false statements by the Justice Department. Despite the legal threats and demands from Hunter Biden’s lawyers, Fox News has taken down the program and is reviewing the concerns raised.
This move comes after weeks of back and forth between Hunter Biden’s legal team and Fox News regarding the coverage and portrayal of the president’s son. The removal of “The Trial of Hunter Biden” from Fox Nation’s catalog demonstrates the impact of legal threats on media programming.
