Tony Bobulinski, a former colleague of Hunter Biden, filed a $30 million defamation lawsuit against Fox News host Jessica Tarloff over her comments about legal fees, which she corrected the next day.
The lawsuit, filed Thursday in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, alleges Tarlov “lied” last week when he initially claimed Bobulinskiy’s legal fees were paid for by Trump’s super PAC. are doing. Her comments were made during a debate on Fox News’ “The Five” after Bobulinski testified before the House Oversight Committee in President Biden’s impeachment inquiry.
The next day, after receiving a letter from Bobulinski’s lawyer requesting a retraction and apology, Tarlov clarified his earlier statements on the air, saying, “What was actually said at the hearing was on behalf of Bobulinski.” It was revealed that the law firm responsible for the investigation was paid by Mr. Trump’s PAC.” There is no indication that those payments were made in connection with Mr. Bobulinski’s legal fees, which Mr. Bobulinski denies. ”
A Fox News spokesperson on Thursday insisted that Tarlov’s explanation was accurate, saying the host knew nothing about the connection between payments from Trump’s PAC and Bobulinski’s legal fees. did.
“Jessica Tarloff’s statement on March 21 was accurate and that she knew nothing to indicate that the payments from the Trump PAC to Elections LLC were made in connection with Tony Bobulinski’s legal fees. “We have made it clear that this is the case,” a Fox News spokesperson said in a statement. The Hill. “We stand by our decision not to make any further corrections and intend to vigorously defend against these inaccurate claims.”
Attorneys for Bobulinski and his lawyer, Stefan Passantino, argued that in Tarlov’s initial comments she said: The fee is being paid by Trump’s super PAC. It’s January” was created to “achieve media headlines and ratings.”
Bobulinski’s lawyers said the comments were an “intentional defamation” of the characters of Bobulinski and Passantino and an “attempt to discredit” his previous testimony before the House Oversight Committee. stated in the complaint.
In a second letter to the host, the lawyers argued that Tarlov did not make a “full retraction and apology” during his on-air explanation, calling it “half-hearted, incomplete and unacceptable.” No,” he said.
Bobulinski briefly worked with Hunter Biden, but the deal they worked on together was never completed. He has become a key Republican witness after linking Biden to his son’s business, and said emails discussing how to distribute money from deals with Chinese companies included “10 It was claimed that this included “keeping the funds safe.” [percent] H had it for a great man,” he was referring to the president.
Bobulinski later began working with former President Trump’s allies, while Passantino, a former White House lawyer, is representing numerous Trump aides before a House committee on January 6. . In 2022, a law firm linked to Passantino received more than $1 million from a PAC linked to Trump.
“It is true that Mr. Passantino received compensation only from Mr. Bobulinski for his representation in the past several years, which is no different from the compensation he received for his representation on March 20, 2024,” the lawyers said. pointed out in the complaint. “Notably, no third party paid any portion of Mr. Passantino’s fees for representing Mr. Bobulinski.”
Bobulinski’s lawyers are seeking $30 million in damages, saying Tarlov sought “defamation and injury to his character.”
The Hill has reached out to Bobulinski’s legal team for further comment.
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