Fox News’ Jessica Tarlov Retracts Comments About Former Hunter Biden Associate Tony Bobulinski

Jessica Tarlov attends the 2023 Fox Nation Patriot Awards at The Grand Ole Opry in Nashville, Tenn., on Nov. 16, 2023. Terry Wyatt/Getty Images

Fox News host Jessica Tarlov has retracted comments she made this week about Tony Bobulinski, a former business partner of Hunter Biden who is also a witness in the Biden impeachment investigation.

In a March 20 episode of “The Five,” Ms. Tarlov claimed that a super political action committee aligned with former President Donald Trump was paying Mr. Bobulinski’s legal fees.

Ms. Tarlov retracted her statement during a broadcast on March 21 after an attorney for Mr. Bobulinski sent a letter threatening to sue Fox News for defamation.

“I would like to clarify a comment I made yesterday during our discussion of Tony Bobulinski’s appearance at the congressional hearing,” she said.

“During an exchange with my colleagues about the hearing, I said that Mr. Bobulinski’s lawyers’ fees have been paid by a Trump super PAC as recently as January. What was actually said during the hearing was that the law firm representing Mr. Bobulinski was paid by a Trump PAC. I have seen no indication those payments were made in connection with Mr. Bobulinski’s legal fees and he denies that they were,” she continued.

‘Maliciously Blatant Lie’

In the letter to Fox News’ executive vice president and general counsel—which was obtained by Just the News—Mr. Bobulinski’s attorney, Jesse R. Binnall, called Ms. Tarlov’s claims “unequivocally false and defamatory” and a “maliciously blatant lie,” adding that no Trump super PAC has ever paid Mr. Bobulinski’s legal fees.

Ms. Tarlov made the March 20 comments shortly after Mr. Bobulinski appeared in a hearing before the House Committee on Oversight and Accountability, titled “Influence Peddling: Examining Joe Biden’s Abuse of Public Office.”

During the hearing, Mr. Bobulinski testified that President Biden was aware of and participated in his family’s business schemes. Another of Mr. Biden’s former business partners, Jason Galanis, also testified.

The president has repeatedly denied having any knowledge of or involvement in his family members’ businesses.

During the March 20 episode of “The Five,” the co-hosts were discussing whether Mr. Bobulinski’s testimony implicated President Biden.

Mr. Binnall, in his letter to the Fox Corporation, demanded that Ms. Tarlov immediately retract her statements on-air on March 21 or risk a defamation lawsuit against both the host and the wider network.

“Ms. Tarlov’s comments were intended to be, and are, extremely damaging, making her immediate retraction of the utmost importance,” the letter said. “It was a mistake to believe Ms. Tarlov’s defamatory comments are without consequence. We will be watching today’s show.”

Bobulinski Sues Former White House Aide

Earlier in March, Mr. Bobulinski filed a $10 million defamation lawsuit against former White House aide Cassidy Hutchinson, who served under President Donald Trump, alleging she lied about him in a book she recently published titled “Enough.”

In that book, Ms. Hutchinson claimed that Mr. Bobulinski wore a “ski mask” during a meeting with President Trump’s then-chief of staff, Mark Meadows, at a 2020 campaign rally in Rome, Georgia.

During the meeting, Mr. Meadows also handed Mr. Bobulinski a folded-up sheet of paper or a small envelope, Ms. Hutchinson wrote in the book. The interaction left her with a “pit in my stomach,” she wrote.

However, in his lawsuit against her, Mr. Bobulinski argued Ms. Hutchinson’s claims were false and gave the impression that the two men had done something nefarious or unethical, when in fact the two men had merely been speaking about Mr. Bobulinski’s well-being after he had received death threats for his comments that were critical of the Biden family’s business dealings.

The defamatory statement has “directly and proximately caused Mr. Bobulinski to suffer significant damages, including direct damages, damages to his reputation, humiliation, embarrassment, mental anguish, anxiety, and fear for his safety and the safety of his family members, all of which are ongoing in nature and will be suffered in the future,” the lawsuit states.

Ryan Morgan contributed to this report.