Ashley Biden Alleged Cocaine Tape Seller Withdraws Under Fire

Washington lawyer Thomas Dunlap is under fire for attempting to sell a video of Ashley Biden, the 27-year-old daughter of Joe Biden, allegedly snorting lines of cocaine at a Delaware party last month.

The New York Post claims that Dunlap showed it 90 seconds of the 43-minute tape, which purportedly shows Ashley doing lines of coke with a red straw in front of witnesses and later shouting "Shut the F-- Up!" The newspaper reported that the seller wanted $2 million before dropping his price to $400,000.

Radar Online reported that Dunlap has since dropped the client after he learned the tape was recorded on a hidden camera, complaining about all the "negative attention."

Dunlap told RadarOnline.com early Sunday that he is no longer involved in the attempted sale of the video and informed his client he would not continue to represent him. The lawyer said he did not want to be involved due to circumstances surrounding the publicity of the matter.

According to the New York Post, the video in question shows a woman who looks like Biden talking and snorting several lines of cocaine with a straw.

The video ... shows a 20-something woman with light skin and long brown hair taking a red straw from her mouth, bending over a desk, inserting the straw into her nostril and snorting lines of white powder.

She then stands up and begins talking with other people in the room.

Vice President Joe Biden, who coined the term "drug czar" in 1982, has not yet commented on the story.

Jonathan Turley, a law professor at George Washington University, adds that fellow lawyers are stunned by Dunlop's behavior:

While most people are shocked by the craven acts of the still unidentified friend, most lawyers are equally shocked by the involvement of a member of the bar in allegedly shopping this tape to tabloids for the highest bidder.

Biden is a social worker for a Delaware child-welfare agency.

Comments

[VirginiaJeff]

True or not, it should have no more impact on political dialogue than the Bush daughters' underage drinking. It's dirty gossip.

[SharonB]

Spot on.

Thank you.

[jedd]

Let's also not forget that it was Poppa Biden who is partially responsible for enacting longer, more stringent sentences for crack as opposed to the same quantity of cocaine. Stiffer sentences for crack have lead to higher rates of incarceration for blacks than their white counterparts (like Ashley) who do cocaine.

[GlenRast]

So you know exactly what your adult children are doing every minute of everyday?

[KillgoreTrout43]

You have 0 proof that Ashley does cocaine. Go back in your hole.

[KillgoreTrout43]

You have 0 proof that Ashley does coke. The difference in sentencing is due to the greater addictive quality of crack vs powder.

[KillgoreTrout43]

You have 0 evidence that it was Ashley in the photo. The difference in sentencing has to do with the fact that crack is much more addictive than powder.

[berzelius]

maybe because statistically, more crime is associated with crack than with cocaine. And more functional users tend to use cocaine than crack, perhaps because crack is much more addictive than cocaine.

[shaggyct]

What's the big deal? George W. Bush and President Obama did it as young men. I wouldn't be surprised if the Bush twins did it, given their penchant for hard partying and the circles they mixed in. Just about everyone who is old enough to remember the 70s and 80s did it, even if they won't admit it. I certainly did my fair share of it as a youngster and so did everyone I know.

I'm more sickened by the behavior of the so-called "friend" and the ambulance chaser who is peddling this tape to the Post than I am by any alleged behavior on the young woman's part, regardless of her identity.

And if we're bringing politics into it, I'd just like to make this observation. It never ceases to amaze me how conservatives spend half their time crying about the government taking away their freedoms, and the rest of the time trying to regulate the personal behavior of other Americans; what we can watch on TV, what substances we can take, what we can read and say, who we can marry, what a woman can do with her body and what we can do in our bedrooms and with whom.

[ghtrains]

The last paragraph of your comment is right on! I have often marveled over the same things. The bottom line is what they consider freedom is to be able to do only what that group thinks is right. All other behaviors are bad and therefore should be illegal. We should be free only to act in ways they deem correct.

[eden4barack08]

Just a little correction: Bush didn't just do it as a young man, he did it as a grown man, married and father...b­efore he was reborn.

[TheHandyman]

The big deal is that there are thousands of blacks, hispanics, and poor whites in prison for doing the same thing. Biden helped write and sponsor the laws that needlessly incarcerate at great expense people who have harmed no one other than themselves. Biden wanted, like a lot of his bretheran, to look tough on crime. Now that his own family could bear the brunt of those laws he will say that his daughter is a good person and people should be supportive. The hypocracy of it all.

Drugs should be decriminalized, regulated and taxed like tobacco and alcohol. This is another area of governement spending that is a bottomless pit like the defense industry. Stop the War on Drugs and put people to work doing more useful things!

[shaggyct]

Completely agree. That was the point of the last paragraph of my post. Note that I said "conservatives" and not "Republicans". That's because I include many Democrats among those who would regulate personal behavior.

[KillgoreTrout43]

Good post.

[justchill]

smarmy all around...

[andvoodoo2]

I have 2 daughters with long brown hair and light skin. There are millions of girls like them in this country.

Next?

[andvoodoo2]

Do people even DO coke anymore?

Do we care?

America, please try to grow up!

[TheHandyman]

Yes, they do and yes we should care. We should care that some people go to prison for doing it while other people are immune from prosection for doing the same thing. Yes, we should grow up and realize that the use of drugs isn't going to stop no matter how many people go to prison. Like Prohibition, it doesn't work to prosecute users so we just as well regulate and tax. We would get fewer users and maybe enough money to provide single payer healthcare!

[andvoodoo2]

I couldn't agree more.

[lj9283]

If the New York Post turned down the tape it can't be real. The Post turn down a chance like this, no way.

[zola77]

agreed. There is NO way they can substantiate these rumors. If they had real evidence, they would have it in the public eye ASAP, without a doubt.

[roshni]

Exactly. The Murdoch slime machine would never pass up this opportunity.

[TheMuckraker]

Big deal.
Shes not a politician, right?
Its not like anybody (like dad) is responsible for what she does.
If she were on public payroll it would be different.

Drugs should be decriminalized for all. What people put into their bodies is their business.
Until they endanger others (like dwi) BACK OFF!!

[calirighty]

Unless your name is Bush and then EVERYTHING is your business.

[dontvote4him]

If it had slightly resembled a Palin kid, on the papers it would have gone. Undercover or not. That's a fact jack.

[KillgoreTrout43]

Nonsense. Palin's daughter has light skin and brown hair. So much for your paranoid theory.

[KillgoreTrout43]

Pakin's daughter has light skin and brown hair. Maybe it was her??????


That's how stupid your comment was.

[cinesimon]

That's what love about you folk on the right. You truly don't understand how ridiculous you sound.

[ClearingtheAir2010]

The ABA should investigate Dunlap....­sounds like a bunch of unsubstantiated slander, ethics violations, and general unbecoming behavior for members of the bar.

[sl26]

True or not...it accomplishes something.­...a stigma....­a doubt.

[shaggyct]

Huh?

[GlenRast]

Maybe to a brainwashed GOP supporter but not to normal people

[eden4barack08]

True. That's the bad thing about hoax stories like these, debunked or not, they still drag the name of an innocent thru the mud first.

[spinns17]

this is a draw in ploy.dont fall for it people .

[SiouxSayer]

Take a breather from the misery and put a smile on your face for the day.....

http://community.ovationtv.com/_Pale-Half-Moon/photo/2925572/16878.html

[kellygrrrl]

The Post viewed 90 seconds then declined to purchase then went on to speculate what MIGHT be on the tape, even though they cannot confirm Ms. Biden is on the tape??????
W T eFF???

[eden4barack08]

That's just the Post living up to its reputation.

[Sweetie4Obama]

That so many of you are taking this as FACT, amazes me.