Quick Take
During a meeting with the Indian prime minister and top technology CEOs, President Joe Biden made a lighthearted joke about Republican investigations into his family. However, a viral video clip has been misleadingly edited to remove the context and make it appear as if Biden was serious.
Full Story
President Biden and his family have faced scrutiny from the House Republicans on the Committee on Oversight and Accountability over allegations that their business dealings could compromise national security and the president’s impartiality.
One of the allegations is that Biden and his son, Hunter, accepted a $5 million bribe from a Ukrainian oil and gas company while Joe Biden was vice president and Hunter served on the company’s board. However, this allegation is based on an unsubstantiated report and lacks evidence.
When asked about the bribery claim, Biden dismissed it as “malarkey.”
During a roundtable discussion at the White House with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and tech CEOs on June 23, Biden made a jest about the ongoing investigations by House Republicans. He jokingly said, “I sold a lot of state secrets and a lot of very important things that we shared. Now, all kidding aside.”
The Republican National Committee’s research team posted a short clip of Biden’s remarks on Twitter, but the video was edited to omit the part where he clearly states it was a joke.
This misleading video was shared by Republican representatives Marjorie Taylor Greene and Matt Gaetz and uploaded to Instagram by Donald Trump Jr. It attracted thousands of likes and spread further on Facebook and Instagram with claims of Biden admitting to selling state secrets.
Greene, who had previously drafted articles of impeachment against Biden, called for his impeachment again based on this edited clip.
Users on social media platforms further disseminated the misleading claim, some without even sharing the video. Many expressed outrage and called for Biden’s impeachment and imprisonment based on a misinterpretation of his remarks.
This is not the first time misleadingly edited clips have been used to attack Biden.
Editor’s note: FactCheck.org is one of several organizations working with Facebook to debunk misinformation shared on social media. Our previous stories can be found here. Facebook has no control over our editorial content.
Sources
U.S. House Committee of Oversight and Accountability. “Biden Family Investigation.” Accessed 27 Jun 2023.
Farley, Robert et al. “Republican Claims About Hunter Biden Offenses.” FactCheck.org. 21 Jun 2023.
Biden, Joe. “Remarks by President Biden and Prime Minister Rishi Sunak of the United Kingdom in Joint Press Conference.” White House. 8 Jun 2023.
Biden, Joe. “Remarks by President Biden and Prime Minister Modi of the Republic of India in Meeting with Senior Officials and CEOs of Technology Companies.” White House. 23 Jun 2023.
RNC Research (@RNCResearch). “BIDEN (last week): “I sold a lot of state secrets and a lot of very important things….” Twitter. 26 Jun 2023.
Greene, Marjorie (@RepMTG). “‘I sold a lot state secrets and a lot of very important things.’ Joe Biden’s brain is going and he’s literally admitting his crimes out loud. Impeach Biden! It’s unreal and so insulting to America.” Twitter. 26 Jun 2023.
Gaetz, Matt (@mattgaetz). “What in the world….” Twitter. 26 Jun 2023.
Trump Jr., Donald (@donaldjtrumpjr). “When they tell you who they are… BELIEVE THEM.” Instagram. 26 Jun 2023.
Jones, Brea. “Social Media Posts Misleadingly Edit and Misrepresent Biden Remarks from Teleprompter.” FactCheck.org. 14 Jul 2022.
Hale Spencer, Saranac. “Viral Biden Video Is Deceptively Edited.”
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Aisha Patel is a dedicated Indian correspondent with a deep understanding of the nation’s diverse affairs. With a background in Indian culture, politics, and current events, she provides in-depth analysis and timely reporting on domestic issues within India.
Denial of responsibility! Samachar Central is an automatic aggregator of Global media. In each content, the hyperlink to the primary source is specified. All trademarks belong to their rightful owners, and all materials to their authors. For any complaint, please reach us at – [email protected]. We will take necessary action within 24 hours.
