President Biden appeared to laugh off a question from a reporter Tuesday when asked about the potential audio recordings of his conversations with a Burisma executive who alleges he bribed Biden during his time as vice president.
"Are there tapes that you accepted bribes, President Biden? Is that true?" New York Post reporter Steven Nelson asked the president as he departed the White House East Room following an event.
Biden seemingly found the question amusing. As he made his way down the White House hallway, the president abruptly stopped before turning around to face the reporter. Biden was visibly grinning and laughing to himself, but remained notably silent. He then shook his head, turned back around and continued down the hallway.
BIDEN LAUGHS AND SMIRKS AS THE PRESS IS USHERED OUT OF THE OVAL OFFICE WITHOUT QUESTIONS
The question was prompted by allegations exposed by Sen. Chuck Grassley, who revealed Monday that a Burisma executive who allegedly paid Joe Biden and Hunter Biden kept 17 audio recordings of his conversations with them as an "insurance policy," citing the FBI FD-1023 form that the bureau briefed congressional lawmakers on.
CONSERVATIVES WARN BIDEN AFTER HE JOKES ABOUT ALLEGED BRIBERY SCANDAL: 'ACCOUNTABILITY IS COMING'
Biden's exchange with the Post reporter didn't sit well with online critics who tore into the president for shirking off a question about the alleged bribery scandal with a laugh.
"If you look and listen REALLY hard, you can detect an ever-so-slight difference in how the media treated the Democrat-invented Russia collusion hoax every day for years and how they're treating revelation that FBI hid news of existence of 17 tapes involving Biden family," Federalist editor in chief Mollie Hemingway wrote.
"He laughs in your face, America," New York Post columnist Miranda Devine tweeted.
"Biden responds by condescending and/or mocking, using his form of humor," journalist Jim Stinson responded.
"Absolute corruption... this question should be asked every time he's in public," political comedian Tim Young weighed in.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
Biden has been under scrutiny for behavior that allegedly took place during his tenure as vice president under Barack Obama. House Oversight Committee members were approached by a whistleblower who said the FBI was in possession of a document in 2020 indicating Biden had been involved in a $5 million criminal bribery scheme with a foreign national in exchange for influence over policy decisions while vice president.
The White House has maintained that President Biden has never been involved in his son's business dealings and has never discussed them with him. Biden dismissed the allegations as "a bunch of malarkey" in a statement Thursday.
