Biden called 'hypocrite' as reports find DNC paid over $1.5M in legal fees for his special counsel probe

WASHINGTON, DC: The Democratic National Committee (DNC) provided financial assistance to President Joe Biden by covering his legal fees incurred during the investigation into his handling of classified documents, according to a report by Axios.

Over $1.5 million was disbursed by the DNC amid the 81-year-old incumbent's legal troubles, with payments made to his personal attorney, Bob Bauer, and the legal firm Hemenway & Barnes LLP, as per The Hill.

The report has drawn attention to the apparent discrepancy between President Biden's actions and his campaign's criticism of former President Donald Trump's use of campaign funds to pay his mounting legal bills.

What was revealed in the reports surrounding the Democratic National Committee?

According to records from the Federal Election Commission, payments were made to Hemenway & Barnes LLP and Bob Bauer PLLC in relation to the discovery of classified documents in January 2023.

The first payment to Hemenway & Barnes LLP amounted to $15,000. On the other hand, the initial payment to Bob Bauer PLLC, made in July of that same year, cost DNC $150,000. 

Subsequently, payments to Hemenway & Barnes LLP increased to $100,000 in July, and the amounts paid to both parties varied until February of this year, when special counsel Robert Hur ended the probe. 

In February, Bauer criticized Hur's report as "inappropriate" for describing the POTUS as someone with dwindling memories of key life events.

Notably, Bauer was also paid by Barack Obama back in 2009. His law firm reportedly received almost $1.5 million from Obama’s presidential campaign, according to a Politico report from that time.

When asked about the payments, the DNC argued that the situation cannot be compared to Trump, who expended approximately $50 million on legal fees in 2023.

DNC spokesperson Alex Floyd said, "There is no comparison – the DNC does not spend a single penny of grassroots donors’ money on legal bills, unlike Donald Trump, who actively solicits legal fees from his supporters and has drawn down every bank account he can get his hands on like a personal piggy bank."

In March, former POTUS Trump initiated a joint fundraising agreement with the Republican National Committee (RNC), which would allocate donations to his 2024 presidential campaign and a political action committee (PAC) responsible for covering his legal expenses before directing the funds toward the party.

So far, Trump's Save America PAC has spent substantial sums of money to compensate his legal counsel.

The former president has been confronted with four criminal indictments and a civil business fraud trial, along with a civil defamation case that could result in millions of dollars in penalties.

Recently, the Biden campaign attempted to label Trump as "Broke Don" to highlight his lackluster fundraising figures. The president has also ridiculed Trump for the amount of money he owes in penalties due to the two New York civil cases.

During fundraising events, Biden has narrated an anecdote about a "defeated man" who approached him, stating that he was "being crushed by debt."

Internet skewers Joe Biden for employing the DNC to foot his legal bills

One remarked, "Everything the libs cry wolf about they have already done themselves," and another said, "They’re usually guilty of the very things they complain the most about. Seems to happen every time."

A person stated, "Once again proving they hypocrites." "'Rules For Thee, Not For Me,'" joked someone else. 

An individual expressed, "I mean are we surprised of how hypocritical the left is at this point?"  

"As the saying goes, if Democrats didn't have double standards they'd have no standards at all," declared one more. 

This article contains remarks made on the Internet by individual people and organizations. MEAWW cannot confirm them independently and does not support claims or opinions being made online.