Joe Biden Accused of Supporting IRA (1986)

In the spring of 1986, US Senator Joe Biden found himself accused of supporting the Provisional IRA, the Irish nationalist paramilitary unit waging a campaign of armed resistance against the British government in Northern Ireland and England. The accusations were levelled at Biden by sections of the right-wing press in the US and Britain after the US Senator opposed an extradition treaty that would see the US send suspected members of the Provisional IRA to Britain for sentencing.

The future president denied having any feelings against Mrs Thatcher or in favour of the IRA, explaining that his opposition stemmed from "concern" that the precedent set by the treaty would amount to "bad law" that people would "have to live with for several generations."

President Biden is expected to formally announce on 25 April that he is entering into the 2024 presidential race.

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