‘Not One Iota Of Evidence’: CNN’s Daniel Dale Torpedoes Attacks on Biden From GOP Debate

CNN fact-checker Daniel Dale torpedoed several attacks made on President Joe Biden at the third Republican presidential debate, noting of one claim that there was “not one iota of evidence” to support it.

NBC News hosted a Republican presidential primary debate Wednesday night that featured periodic fireworks between the five current runners-up, as well as over 30 mentions of the president — not all of them kind.

During CNN’s own coverage of the debate, Dale appeared on camera twice to fact-check attacks on Biden. First, there was Vivek Ramaswamy’s claim of bribery, and the next hour, Gov. Ron DeSantis’s claim that Biden was doing nothing about anti-Semitism:

BASH: The candidates, as always, had a lot to say at tonight’s third Republican debate here in Miami. The question is, how did their words square with the facts?

For that, we’re joined by our one and only Daniel Dale. So, Daniel, one of the candidates, Vivek Ramaswamy, made a pretty dramatic claim about the Biden family and aid to Ukraine.

[22:25:00]

Let’s listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VIVEK RAMASWAMY, REPUBLICAN PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: And Joe Biden sold off our foreign policy. Joe Biden’s son, Hunter Biden, got a $5 million bribe from Ukraine. That’s why we’re sending $200 billion back to that same country.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BASH: Daniel, is there any truth to that?

DANIEL DALE, CNN REPORTER: So, major problems of fact with both parts of that claim for Mr. Ramaswamy.

Number one, the claim about a supposed bribe to Hunter Biden is completely uncorroborated. And, number two, there is not one iota of evidence, nothing at all to suggest that U.S. aid to Ukraine, which has been approved by bipartisan majorities, has anything to do with any member of the Biden family.

So, what do we know about this claim of a bribe? Well, all we know is that in 2020, a confidential FBI source told the Bureau that four years prior he had heard the CEO of a Ukrainian energy company where Hunter Biden sat on the board, say that the CEO had given a two $5 million payments, one to one Biden and one to another.

So, a dramatic claim, but that that claim from the informant contained no proof whatsoever. And, in fact, the FBI report that memorialized the allegation said that this source could not even offer an opinion about the accuracy of the claim.

Now, subsequently, the House heard testimony from Republican Witness Devon Archer, an associate of Hunter Biden, who said that he had never heard anything about such a payment. And he characterized the claim from this Ukrainian CEO as a typical example of this man, Mykola Zlochevsky, exaggerating, embellishing his influence.

Now, as to aid to Ukraine, this again has been approved by members of both parties. So, is Mr. Ramaswamy suggesting here that Republican members of the House and Senate, like Mitch McConnell, is approving aid to Ukraine because of Hunter Biden? It transparently makes no sense.

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COOPER: Welcome back. With the third republican debate now done and dusted, CNN fact checker Daniel Dale has been looking carefully at what the candidates said. In this case, what Ron DeSantis said on stage about President Biden’s response to antisemitism in the country. Daniel, here is what Governor DeSantis said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DESANTIS: And what is Biden doing? Not only is he not helping the Jewish students who are being persecuted, he is launching initiative to combat so-called Islamophobia. No, it’s the anti-Semitism that spiraling out of control.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COOPER: So, what are the facts on that remark?

DANIEL DALE, CNN SENIOR REPORTER: Anderson, this claim is highly misleading in a couple of ways. Number one, let us note the governor’s use of the phrase “so-called Islamophobia.” Islamophobia, hatred or fear of suspicion of Muslims, is not a so-called. It is a very real thing that people in this country have been killed over, including recently, unfortunately. It very much exists. Number two, the governor’s clear suggestion here is that the president, the Biden administration, is only addressing Islamophobia and not anti-Semitism at all. That is just not true. The Biden administration did announce last week that it is developing a national strategy to counter Islamophobia. Biden’s White House had already released its national strategy to combat anti-Semitism months ago, Anderson, in May.

And this week, Biden’s Education Department issued guidance reminding schools that they have a legal obligation to address incidence of both Islamophobia and anti-Semitism.

In addition, we know that President Biden himself has repeatedly denounced anti-Semitism, both in the wake of this Hamas attack in October and for years before. A quick Google search I did this evening brought up numerous members examples dating back years.

So, the pretty inflammatory suggestion here that Biden is ignoring Jews in this fraught moment in favor of Muslims after the attack, it is just not correct.

Watch above via CNN.