Joe Biden Plagiarism

- Biden had cited Kinnock on previous occasions while giving the speechSlate: Don't Call It Plagiarism (February 19, 2008)
- Was cleared of the law school chargesThe New York Times: Board Clears Biden In Two... (September 29, 1989)
- Biden has also been accused of borrowing from the speeches of Robert KennedyTIME: Biden's Familiar Quotations (September 28, 1987)

Senator Joe Biden was subject to accusations of plagiarism during the Democratic presidential primary of 1988.The New York Times: Biden Admits Plagiarism in School But... (September 18, 1987) Most notoriously, he was alleged to have stolen part of a speech from British Labour Party leader Neil Kinnock.The New York Times: Biden Gives Kinnock Copy of His Speeches (January 13, 1988) The scandal that resulted was quickly followed by claims that Biden had plagiarized a paper during his first year attending Syracuse Law School.The New York Times: Biden Admits Plagiarism in School But... (September 18, 1987) Biden dropped his bid for the nomination soon after the charges emerged.
Response to Allegations

Although Biden's presidential bid was derailed, the senator did address the claims. In the case of the speech, Biden had previously cited Kinnock as its source, but claimed to have forgotten to do so on at least one occasion.Slate: Don't Call It Plagiarism (February 19, 2008) According to Biden, the law school incident had been the result of confusion regarding the rules of citation and footnoting.The New York Times: Biden Admits Plagiarism in School But... (September 18, 1987) In 1989, the Delaware Supreme Court's Board on Professional Responsibility cleared Biden of the law school charges.The New York Times: Board Clears Biden In Two... (September 29, 1989)