White House Refuses to Confirm Joe Biden’s Suggestion that Uncle Was ‘Shot Down,’ Eaten by Cannibals

By WENDELL HUSEBØ

White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre refused to confirm President Joe Biden’s suggestion that his uncle was “shot down” and eaten by cannibals off the coast of New Guinea.

• Ambrose J. Finnegan died on May 14, 1944, according to the Pentagon’s Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency. Finnegan was a passenger on an Army Air Forces plane that he ditched “for unknown reasons” in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of New Guinea, the agency reported.

  While traveling to a campaign stop on Wednesday, Biden told a story about his uncle, whose Air Force plane was “shot down” during a “reconnaissance flight over New Guinea” during World War II.

  “[He] got shot down in an area where there were a lot of cannibals at the time. They never recovered his body,” Biden said. “But the government went back when I was down there, and they checked and found parts of the plane and the like.”

  Biden tells a story about his grandfather being “shot down in an area where there were a lot of cannibals” before recounting the debunked “suckers and losers” hoax for the second time in less than a day pic.twitter.com/KufaTlmCz1
  
  — RNC Research (@RNCResearch) April 17, 2024

  Jean-Pierre refused to support Biden’s suggestion that his uncle’s plane was “shot down” and ignored any reference to cannibals. She appeared to align her belief with the Associated Press (AP). Biden “misstated key details about his uncle’s death,” the AP reported Wednesday.

  “You saw the president; he was incredibly proud of his uncle’s service in uniform,” Jean-Pierre told reporters, who had been aboard Air Force One. “You saw him at the war memorial. It was incredibly emotional and important to him.”

  “You saw him respond to all of you when asked about the moment yesterday and his uncle, who lost his life when the military aircraft he was on crashed in the Pacific after taking off near New Guinea.”

  “Why is Pres. Biden saying that his ‘Uncle Bosie’ was eaten by cannibals?”
  
  KARINE JEAN-PIERRE: “The president had an emotional — and I think symbolic — moment” pic.twitter.com/v6lcJjljIU
  
  — RNC Research (@RNCResearch) April 19, 2024