Fox Nation Removes ‘Trial Of Hunter Biden’ Amid Legal Threat — Update
UPDATE: Fox News has removed the series The Trial of Hunter Biden from it subscription streaming service Fox Nation following a legal threat from Biden’s attorneys.
“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,” a Fox News Media spokesperson said.
More from Deadline
Donald Trump Held In Contempt And Fined $9,000 For Violations Of Judge's Gag Order
OAN Retracts False Story About Donald Trump's Former Lawyer Michael Cohen
Biden’s attorneys objected to the documentary’s use of sexually explicit images of Biden. They suggested that the use of hacked images violate state revenge porn laws.
The Trial of Hunter Biden was a mock trial based on Biden’s legal troubles.
PREVIOUSLY: Fox News is responding to Hunter Biden’s legal threat after his attorneys claimed that the network was engaged in a conspiracy to defame their client.
Biden’s attorneys contend that Fox News’ use of sexually explicit images of Biden are from hacked material and violate some states’ revenge porn laws, according the CNN, which first reported on the legal threat. The attorneys also are seeking retractions of stories about claims that Biden and his father, President Joe Biden, engaged in a bribery scheme. The FBI later indicted an informant, Alexander Smirnov, for lying about the Biden claims. Prosecutors also have cited Smirnov’s contacts with Russian intelligence.
In a statement, Fox News Media said, “Hunter Biden’s lawyers have belatedly chosen to publicly attack Fox News’ constitutionally protected coverage regarding their client. Mr. Biden is a public figure who has been the subject of investigations by both the Department of Justice and Congress, has been indicted by two different U.S. Attorney’s Offices in California and Delaware, and has admitted to multiple incidents of wrongdoing. Consistent with the First Amendment, Fox News has accurately covered these highly publicized events as well as the subsequent indictment of an FBI informant who was the source of certain claims made about Mr. Biden.”
Some of the images appeared on The Trial of Hunter Biden, a fictionalized show that appeared on its subscription streaming service, Fox Nation.
According to CNN, Hunter Biden’s lawyers wrote in their letter to Fox News, “The unlawful publication of these images cannot be said to have been made for legitimate public purpose, where the miniseries featuring a mock trial is not accurately reporting on newsworthy events, but rather, is a fictionalized trial of a nonexistent case against Mr. Biden.”
Biden’s legal team also noted that despite the indictment of Smirnov, Fox News hosts have continued to claim that it was part of an effort to silence whistleblowers.
Best of Deadline
Step & Repeat Gallery: The Best Red Carpet & Party Photos Of 2024
Hollywood & Media Deaths In 2024: Photo Gallery & Obituaries
2024-25 Awards Season Calendar - Dates For Oscars, Tonys, Guilds, BAFTAs, Spirits & More
Sign up for Deadline's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.