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Speaking at the annual White House Correspondents' Association
dinner, Biden referred to "truth buried by lies," in an apparent
reference to false conspiracy theories that his 2020 election win
was the result of a massive voter fraud.
"Lies told for profit and power. Lies of conspiracy and malice
repeated over and over again designed to generate a cycle of anger
and hate and even violence," Biden said.
That cycle, Biden added, has emboldened local jurisdictions to ban
books, and "the rule of law and our rights and freedoms to be
stripped away."
Zeroing in on what he characterized as "an extreme press," Biden at
the same time joked that if he called Fox News "honest, fair and
truthful then I can be sued for defamation."
Earlier this month, Fox Corp settled a defamation lawsuit by
Dominion Voting Systems for $787.5 million in a case that centered
around Fox's false claims that the 2020 presidential election had
been manipulated in favor of Biden.
And in a jab at former President Donald Trump, Biden quipped that
comedian Roy Wood Jr, who also was a featured speaker at the dinner,
had offered him $10 to keep his speech short.
"That's a switch - a president being offered hush money," Biden said
to laughter.
On April 4, Trump was charged with 34 felony counts in a case
involving an alleged $130,000 hush payment to an adult film star
during his 2016 presidential campaign. Trump pleaded not guilty to
all of the charges.
(Reporting by David Shepardson, additional reporting by Leah
Douglas; writing by Richard Cowan; Editing by Lincoln Feast)
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