Fox News Host Sued for Defamation by Former Biden Business Partner

Left: Tony Bobulinski in Nashville, Tenn., October 22, 2020. Right: Jessica Tarlov on Fox News, July 25, 2022.

Former Biden business partner Tony Bobulinski is suing Fox News host Jessica Tarlov over her claims a super PAC connected to former president Donald Trump paid his legal fees.

Bobulinski filed the defamation lawsuit in Manhattan district court Thursday afternoon demanding $30 million in damages from Harlov, the liberal co-host of The Five, for remarks she made on the show last week about a pro-Trump super PAC paying Bobulinski’s legal fees as recently as January. Stefan Passantino, an attorney for Bobulinski and a former Trump administration official, is also a plaintiff in the lawsuit.

“Ms. Tarlov lied to achieve media headlines and ratings and to serve her political agenda by deliberately besmirching the character of Messrs. Bobulinski and Passantino,” the complaint begins. Since 2020, Bobulinski has spent over $500,000 on legal fees and denies taking money from any Trump-affiliated organizations during that time period.

“It is a matter of fact that since 2020, when Mr. Bobulinski first started speaking publicly against the Biden family, he has spent over $500,000 of his own money on legal fees. Neither President Trump, nor any persons or entities affiliated with President Trump, have ever paid for any of Mr. Bobulinski’s legal fees during this time,” the complaint asserts.

The plaintiffs wrote a letter to Fox on March 21 demanding Tarlov retract her comments and apologize for her remarks.

“I would like to clarify a comment I made yesterday during our discussion of Tony Bobulinski’s appearance at the congressional hearing,” Tarlov said on the March 21st edition of The Five.

“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 of those payments were made in connection with Mr. Bobulinski’s legal fees and he denies that they were,” she added.

The following day, Bobulinski and Passantino’s attorney wrote another letter to Fox insisting Tarlov issue a complete retraction of her on-air comments. She does not appear to have done so, and the network is standing by her clarification, a spokesperson told National Review.

“Jessica Tarlov’s March 21 statements were accurate and made clear that she was not aware of anything to indicate that payments from a Trump PAC to Elections, LLC were made in connection with Tony Bobulinski’s legal fees. We stand by our decision to not issue any further corrections and will vigorously defend against these inaccurate claims,” the spokesperson said. Elections LLC is a law firm Passantino founded in 2019 after he left the Trump administration.

“Today I filed a lawsuit against Ms. Jessica Tarlov of Fox News for defamation. Although I am seeking compensatory, special, and punitive damages from her for the damage her public remarks inflicted on my personal and professional reputation, this is not about money. This is about the truth, for which I have been fighting for four years. It is important for media personalities like Ms. Tarlov to understand that lies have consequences,” Bobulinski said in a statement provided to NR.

Earlier this month, Bobulinski testified publicly about his knowledge of the Biden family’s foreign business dealings in a hearing held by House Republicans to further the impeachment inquiry against President Biden. Hunter Biden declined to show up to the public hearing after he insisted on having a public hearing back in December.

Prior to the hearing, Bobulinski testified behind closed doors in February and described how he met Joe, Hunter, and James Biden in May 2017 to discuss a proposed joint venture involving Chinese infrastructure conglomerate CEFC. Not long after, Hunter Biden testified and confirmed Bobulinski met his father. Nonetheless, the younger Biden disparaged Bobulinski for supposedly being disgruntled because the CEFC deal fell through and Hunter entered a separate venture with the firm.

At the beginning of the public hearing, Bobulinski accused both Hunter and James Biden of lying under oath about aspects of the CEFC negotiations. Later on, he voiced support for impeaching Joe Biden for the role he appears to have played in his son’s foreign business dealings and claimed Joe Biden committed various criminal acts.

Ahead of the 2020 presidential election, Bobulinski rose to prominence for accusing the Bidens of lying about Joe Biden’s role in his son’s foreign business dealings. In October 2020, the New York Post first reported on an email sent by business partner James Gilliar suggesting Hunter Biden hold a 10 percent equity stake in the CEFC deal for “the big guy,” who Bobulinski has said is Joe Biden.

“10 held by H for the big guy?” Gilliar asked in May 2017. Bobulinski was one of the business associates on the email chain. When he testified last month, Hunter Biden implied his father was “the big guy” and called Gilliar’s question a far-fetched idea.

Hunter and James Biden both said Joe Biden was not involved in the Biden family’s business dealings, despite evidence suggesting otherwise. The president himself has repeatedly denied partaking in the business enterprise.

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