Fox News stood by its coverage of bribery allegations against Hunter Biden despite the White House demanding a retraction.
The White House argued that since the source of the allegations, Alexander Smirnov, was indicted for lying, Fox News should retract its coverage.
“I would cite the number of times Jesse Watters and Sean Hannity promoted this allegation and made false statements about President Biden on primetime television throughout this time period, but the footnote citations would fill multiple pages,” White House spokesperson Ian Sams wrote.
“As you of course now know, the source of this allegation has been federally indicted for making the whole thing up,” he said. “Despite this, Fox has taken no steps to retract, correct, or update its reporting on this false allegation from 2023.”
“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,” Sams wrote.
“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,” he said.
However, Fox News defended its reporting, stating they have covered all developments, including Smirnov’s indictment.
“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,” a Fox News representative said.
“We will continue to report on developments in all aspects of the ongoing investigations, hearings, and trials.”
Smirnov accused Hunter Biden and his father of accepting money from a Ukrainian energy company, while his attorney defended him as a reliable FBI asset.
