Joe Biden’s brother repaid a loan in 2018. Fox News personalities are trying to spin it into a crime.
Written by Bushra Sultana
Published
Several figures in right-wing media are once again trying to create a controversy around President Joe Biden and his family, this time with a claim by House Oversight Committee Chair Rep. James Comer (R-KY) that Biden received $200,000 in bribes from his younger brother and sister-in-law in 2018, prior to his presidency. However, a White House spokesperson explained — and the check itself shows — that the money was a loan repayment to the senior Biden, who was a private citizen at the time.
On Friday, October 20, the congressman’s office put out a press release titled “Comer Releases Evidence of Direct Payment to Joe Biden.” The evidence in question is a personal check of $200,000 from the now-president’s younger brother James Biden and sister-in-law Sara Biden clearly marked as “loan repayment.” Comer used this check -- and the fact that James Biden took a loan at the time from hospital operator Americore and repaid his elder brother with that money -- to claim that there are “questions” that Joe Biden “must answer for the American people.”
However, even in his own statement, Comer tacitly acknowledged that he had no evidence this check signaled a corrupt action, as he stated, “Even if this was a personal loan repayment, it’s still troubling that Joe Biden’s ability to be paid back by his brother depended on the success of his family’s shady financial dealings.”
Some right-wing media figures, like Fox News contributor Jonathan Turley and Murdoch property The New York Post, have jumped on the story as further proof of the president’s supposed corruption.
On the Sunday edition of Fox & Friends Weekend, co-host Rachel Campos-Duffy discussed the story with Fox News contributor Jason Chaffetz, saying Comer had “really come through in a big way.” She questioned, “Why aren’t Democrats embarrassed of this and joining in getting rid of this corruption?” Chaffetz responded, blaming the “national media,” saying they lacked “intellectual curiosity” and claiming that “Comer is producing” evidence as “he can show checks at this point.”
But apart from mentioning vague buzzwords like “e-mails, suspicious activity reports, … photographs, secret service logs,” Chaffetz -- and Campos-Duffy -- failed to articulate how a check marked “loan repayment” shows that the president is embroiled in a vast corruption scandal.
Citation From October 22, 2023, edition of Fox & Friends Weekend
RACHEL CAMPOS-DUFFY (CO-HOST): The good news is they haven't haven't stopped these investigations, and Rep. Comer has really come through in a big way. Just this week, a $200,000 payment uncovered to Joe Biden from his brother, Jim, and the $200,000 were — he used cash to pay off his beach house. And, by the way, this was just two weeks after Hunter [Biden] famously threatened that Chinese official [saying], “You better get that money to me or I'm going to talk to my dad," blah, blah, blah. How much smoke do we need before we can say there's a fire and why aren't Democrats embarrassed of this and joining in getting rid of this corruption?
JASON CHAFFETZ (FOX NEWS CONTRIBUTOR): Well, and I don't know why the national media --
CAMPOS-DUFFY: I know.
CHAFFETZ: Lacks the intellectual curiosity. They’re showing their true stripes. Look, Joe Biden has been in public office since 1972. And he's been in office until 2017. And then suddenly he's got hundreds of thousands of dollars to -- due in a loan? He can go out and buy a multimillion dollar beach house? Come on. Wake up, folks. Hundreds of thousands of dollars, text messages, e-mails, suspicious activity reports, I mean, photographs, secret service logs. What other evidence do you need at this point? Comer is producing — Joe Biden himself said follow the money, where's the money, and Comer is proving he can show checks at this point.
CAMPOS-DUFFY: Yeah, and it's so dangerous at this time right now because we just had [author] Steven Mosher on talking about the connection between Hamas and China. China is stirring the pot in every single area of the world, and we're getting involved, and they're weakening us. We can't afford to have a president who's compromised at this moment.
CHAFFETZ: More money is flowing into the Bidens' bank accounts from China than all the other countries. We have to know why and where is the president compromised.
CAMPOS-DUFFY: Absolutely.