Systemic F—ing Campaign to Vilify’ Hunter Biden Threatens Lawsuit Against Fox News
(Sipa via AP Images)
Hunter Biden, the son of President Joe Biden, is taking a firm stand against what he describes as a relentless campaign by Fox News to malign him, particularly focusing on his past struggles with addiction. In a revealing interview with The Daily Beast, the 54-year-old accused the network of engaging in a “systemic f—ing campaign to vilify and dehumanize” him and announced his intention to pursue legal action, alleging defamation.
This legal confrontation was catalyzed by what Hunter asserts as deliberate misrepresentations of his addiction issues. According to Hunter, many images publicized by the network, depicting him in compromising situations involving drug use, were “staged.” He highlighted a specific photo showing him asleep with a glass pipe in his mouth, which he claims inaccurately suggested he used meth—a drug he asserts he never used.
“Their portrayal aims to dehumanize not just me but every individual struggling with addiction,” Hunter explained. He expressed his frustration with the network’s fixation on labeling him repetitively as a ‘crack addict,’ emphasizing the impact such derogatory labels have on the broader community of those battling addictions.
Three weeks prior to the interview, Hunter’s legal team issued a warning to Fox News, signaling a potential defamation lawsuit and asserting that the network colluded with allies of former President Donald Trump and foreign nationals to exploit Hunter’s image for financial gain and political sabotage.
In response to the legal threat, Fox News removed their streaming series, “The Trial of Hunter Biden,” which had been a focal point of their coverage. A spokesperson for Fox defended the network’s actions as “constitutionally protected coverage” of a public figure who has faced federal indictments and admitted to various misdeeds. The network stated, “This program was produced in and has been available since 2022. We are reviewing the concerns that have just been raised and—out of an abundance of caution in the interim—have taken it down.”
Hunter, who also faces separate trials in Delaware and California on charges including tax fraud and illegal possession of a firearm, acknowledged the uphill battle involved in a defamation lawsuit. However, he suggested that any discovery process would expose more egregious behavior by Fox, comparing potential revelations to those in Dominion’s lawsuit over 2020 election misinformation, remarking, “If we ever got them, it would make Dominion look like f, in my opinion, you know, pattycakes.”
In addition, Hunter reflected on the personal trauma underlying his addiction, which he discussed in his book “Beautiful Things” and in a 2021 interview with CBS News. He traced his addiction back to the tragic car accident in 1972 that killed his mother and sister, emphasizing the often-overlooked link between trauma and addiction.
