WaPo Report Details James Biden's Connection to FBI Bribery Investigation

The business ventures and dealmaking of President Biden’s brother, James Biden, are under scrutiny following a report regarding a 2007 FBI investigation into his business associates.

Details: A report from the Washington Post (Lean Left bias) detailed James Biden’s connections to Richard “Dickie” Scruggs and Tim Balducci. In 1998, Scruggs paid Biden’s firm a total of $100,000 for advice in advancing a landmark settlement against tobacco manufacturers. A major hurdle to the advancement was congressional approval, and a key skeptic Scruggs hoped to win over was James Biden’s brother, then Delaware Senator Joe Biden. Joe Biden eventually supported the settlement. Roughly a decade later, James Biden was set to create a new consulting firm alongside Balducci. Before this could happen, both Balducci and Scruggs were caught by the FBI attempting to bribe a judge. During the FBI’s investigation, phone calls between James Biden and the two men were recorded on wiretapped phones. Neither Joe nor James Biden were questioned by the FBI regarding the investigation.

For Context: The report comes as the House Oversight Committee investigates the Biden family, looking to back up allegations made by Committee Chair Rep. James Comer (R-KY) that Joe Biden used his political power to enrich his family and himself.

How the Media Covered It: The Washington Post first broke the story, and a small number of left-rated outlets picked it up. The story was covered prominently in right-rated outlets. AllSides was unable to find any coverage from center-rated outlets.