President Joe Biden exhibited a strikingly nonchalant response when confronted by a reporter with allegations of evidence that implicated him in a bribery scheme during his time as vice president.
The incident unfolded after Senator Chuck Grassley of Iowa, a Republican, revealed the existence of a confidential source who claimed to have proof of bribery involving both Joe Biden and his son, Hunter Biden. The whistleblower allegedly retained 17 audio recordings of interactions with the Bidens as a sort of “insurance policy,” potentially to be used in the future.
This explosive revelation prompted a reporter to question President Biden after an event at the White House East Room. The reporter, eager for answers, demanded: “Are there tapes that you accepted bribes, President Biden? Is that true?”
Biden’s response to this high-stakes question was perplexingly casual. As recorded on video and shared on social media, the President turned around, a smile on his face, chuckled silently, then shook his head as he walked away without uttering a word.
Biden has dismissed similar allegations in the past, brushing off questions regarding allegations examined by lawmakers and presented to the FBI. When pressed, he responded with the rhetorical question, “Where’s the money?” before labeling the claims as “a bunch of malarkey.”
Reactions to Biden’s seemingly jovial response to such serious allegations have ranged from bemusement to alarm on social media platforms, with one user describing the response as “terrifying.”
Former acting Attorney General Matt Whitaker referred to Senator Grassley’s claims as “explosive.” He drew attention to the fact that these allegations were redacted from the FD-1023 form, a document reviewed by legislators last week, following weeks of effort to obtain it from the FBI.
Whitaker emphasized the extraordinary implications of these redactions: “This information, that there were recordings of the president of the United States talking to a foreign national about bribes, was redacted from that 1023. That’s extraordinary in and of itself.”
The potential ramifications of this alleged evidence could be momentous, Whitaker noted. He commented, “Now, the contents, if true, I mean, obviously this is a cataclysmic event because you just don’t have these types of recordings usually available. And … it will prove essentially what Joe Biden knew and what his scheme was to abuse his power as vice president.”
