At a Harris-Walz campaign event in Pennsylvania, President Biden shared an odd and unexpected anecdote with union workers, reflecting on his great-grandfather’s alleged ties to a notorious Irish secret society.

During his Labor Day speech at a union hall in Pittsburgh, Biden claimed his great-grandfather had been accused of being a member of the Molly Maguires, a group known for its violent activities in the 19th century, as reported by Fox News.

Biden recounted, “I remember when my great-grandfather was only the second Catholic elected statewide in the state Senate here in Pennsylvania. And I remember they talked about—when they’d run against him in 1906—they said, ‘Guess what? He’s a Molly Maguire.’”

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The Molly Maguires, an infamous Irish secret society, were active in Pennsylvania, where they were known for allegedly attacking and even murdering anti-Irish Catholic mine owners.

Biden elaborated on the harsh conditions faced by Catholic immigrants in the coal mines, many of which were owned by English Protestants.

“A lot of the English owned the coal mines,” he said. “And what they did was they really beat the hell out of the mostly Catholic population in the mines. Not a joke.”

The President went on to describe how the Molly Maguires would defend these Catholic workers, often resorting to extreme measures.

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“If they found out the foreman was taking advantage of an individual, they would literally kill him. Not a joke. And they would bring his body up and put him on the doorstep of his family,” Biden explained.

He then quipped that his family had been disappointed when they discovered his great-grandfather wasn’t actually part of the group. “Kind of crude, but I gotta admit they accused my great-grandfather of being a Molly Maguire—he wasn’t, but we were so damn disappointed,” he joked.

Social media quickly lit up with reactions to Biden’s story, with many labeling it as an “insanely weird” anecdote.

Some commenters suggested the story was a “tall tale,” questioning the likelihood that Biden’s great-grandfather could have been linked to the Molly Maguires, given that he would have been a teenager during their peak in Pennsylvania.

Cognitively impaired Joe Biden tells a weird story about how his grandfather was accused of being a "Molly Maguire" while running for political office in 1906.

Kamala spent 3.5 years claiming that this guy is perfectly fit mentally for the job as president. pic.twitter.com/DVDq4w3tWw

— Trump War Room (@TrumpWarRoom) September 2, 2024

Biden just told an insanely weird story in Pittsburgh about how his grandfather was accused of being a "Molly Maguire," Irish people who "murdered people and brought their body to the doorstep of their families."

What in the world…pic.twitter.com/HEqMICyftc

— Greg Price (@greg_price11) September 2, 2024

Another Biden tall-tale.

The great grandfather he is referring to is Edward Francis Blewitt, elected to Penn legislature in 1907.

Born in 1859.

The Molly Maguires were a real thing in Easten Penn coal areas – from 1873-76. His great grandfather was 14-17 years old. https://t.co/spHa943Qhd

— Shipwreckedcrew (@shipwreckedcrew) September 2, 2024

Fox News Digital reached out to the White House for clarification, but they referred to an article from Irish America Magazine, which detailed Biden’s great-grandfather’s history.

The article, published in 2020, mentioned that Biden’s great-grandfather, Edward Francis Blewitt, had deep ties to Scranton, Pennsylvania, a hotspot for the Molly Maguires, though it stopped short of confirming any direct involvement with the group.

Biden’s great-grandfather, who served as chairman of the Saint Patrick’s Day Parade in 1897 and was elected to the state senate in 1906, was rumored to have connections to the Molly Maguires through his own father.

Despite Biden’s colorful retelling, the story remains a blend of family lore and historical mystery.

This latest anecdote adds to Biden’s long history of invoking his family’s Irish roots on the campaign trail, as he did during the 2008 election when he referred to himself as a “hard-coal miner” from Scranton. Now, as Biden throws his support behind Kamala Harris, his colorful stories continue to draw attention—though perhaps not always the kind he intends.

This piece was written by LifeZette News Staff on September 3, 2024. It originally appeared in LifeZette and is used by permission.

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