On Monday's New Day on CNN, host Alisyn Camerota gave Joe Biden's deputy campaign manager Kate Bedingfield an exceedingly sympathetic forum to react to the Donald Trump campaign's charges that Biden's son, Hunter, is linked to corruption in Ukraine, and even invited her to promote the Democratic presidential candidate's gun control plan.
Camerota couldn't even ask Bedingfield about the letter she signed demanding CNN and the other networks ban Rudy Giuliani from television.
At 8:30 a.m. Eastern, the segment began with a clip of Biden giving a speech complaining about the attacks on him from President Trump. Camerota began: "That's Democratic frontrunner, former Vice President Joe Biden, talking about what's happening with his family and how Hunter Biden has come under attack. In fact, the former VP has taken plenty of hits from President Trump and his allies over Ukraine. … So what is Biden's latest strategy?"
After introducing her guest, the CNN host began by bolstering Biden:
So let's stipulate at the top that neither CNN nor any legitimate news organization can find any truth to the claims that President Trump and his allies are making about former Vice President Biden having done anything wrong in calling for that Ukrainian prosecutor to be ousted. The entire international community felt that he was not dealing with corruption and should be ousted. So let's stipulate that at the top.
She then posed: "That said, behind the scenes on the campaign, with all of this being dredged up over the past weeks, has this been a challenge for all of you to figure out how to address?"
In her next followup, Camerota softly brought up the issue of whether it would have been better for Biden if he had asked his son to refrain from business dealings in Ukraine during the Barack Obama administration:
And as an ancillary issue to everything that we just talked about in terms of getting rid of the prosecutor is, of course, Hunter Biden, Joe Biden's son, his work for that gas company. Does former VP Biden now have any regret that he didn't tell Hunter Biden, "You know what, I just don't need the headache -- don't work there"?
After Bedingfield tried to deflect by retorting that the Obama White House gave Hunter Biden permission, instead of pressing further by pointing out that it must be beneficial to do business in such an arena where his father, the Vice President, can have political influence, Camerota pivoted to bolstering Biden's campaign by showing CNN's liberal viewers part of an ad in which Parkland parent and gun control activist Fred Guttenberg endorsed Biden for President:
She began by sympathizing with the Biden campaign wanting to discuss issues but having to suffer the "headache" of being distracted by responding to attacks from President Trump, as she set up her next question:
I know that what the Vice President hopes is to be able to deal with the issues that effect so many of us, and I know that one of the things, you know, he's trying to keep his campaign stops focused on the issues despite the fact that I have to imagine that this is a headache, at least, but I hear you that you're trying to stay laser focused on issues, and one of the things of course that has come up, and I know that you all want to talk about, is guns. And that's very important to so many Americans.
Camerota then set up the ad:
And it's interesting that you have gotten the endorsement of someone we know well, Fred Guttenberg, who is one of the fathers of one of the Parkland kids -- students -- who was gunned down in that massacre, and so I just want to play a little portion because I think this is really important about what Fred says about Joe Biden, so listen to this.
A clip of the ad was shown, which featured Guttenberg:
Vice President Biden has taken them on. He was part of that assault weapons ban that was once in place. That was a big fight -- it took fortitude -- it took guts. There's nobody that has given me advice or a path since my daughter died that has meant more than Vice President Biden.
The CNN host cued up her guest to promote Biden's agenda to impose more gun control as she posed: "So what is VP Biden's plan for how to fix this?"
After Bedingfield talked up plans to ban "assault weapons" and high-capacity magazines, and expand background checks, Camerota did not offer any pushback on the possible harmful effects of enacting those measures, instead just wrapping up the interview.
CNN has notably been ignoring one of the more conservative Parkland parents, Andy Pollack, who investigated the mistakes that were made by school administrators that allowed the Parkland massacre to happen. He has been making teh important point that background checks for gun purchases only have a chance of working if those with criminal histories, including minors, are officially charged with committing crimes so that it officially shows up on their background check record.
According to Pollack, Parkland shooter Nikolas Cruz, could have been arrested as many as 10 times, but was not because of school policy that tried to reduce the number of arrests and suspensions.
Below is a transcript of all the questions posed by Camerota from the Monday, September 30, New Day on CNN [click on Expand]:
ALISYN CAMEROTA: That's Democratic frontrunner, former Vice President Joe Biden, talking about what's happening with his family and how Hunter Biden has come under attack. In fact, the former VP has taken plenty of hits from President Trump and his allies over Ukraine. … So what is Biden's latest strategy?
(…)
So let's stipulate at the top that neither CNN nor any legitimate news organization can find any truth to the claims that President Trump and his allies are making about former Vice President Biden having done anything wrong in calling for that Ukrainian prosecutor to be ousted. The entire international community felt that he was not dealing with corruption and should be ousted. So let's stipulate that at the top.
That said, behind the scenes on the campaign, with all of this being dredged up over the past weeks, has this been a challenge for all of you to figure out how to address?
(…)
And as an ancillary issue to everything that we just talked about in terms of getting rid of the prosecutor is, of course, Hunter Biden, Joe Biden's son, his work for that gas company. Does former VP Biden now have any regret that he didn't tell Hunter Biden, "You know what, I just don't need the headache -- don't work there"?
(…)
I know that what the Vice President hopes is to be able to deal with the issues that effect so many of us, and I know that one of the things, you know, he's trying to keep his campaign stops focused on the issues despite the fact that I have to imagine that this is a headache, at least, but I hear you that you're trying to stay laser focused on issues, and one of the things of course that has come up, and I know that you all want to talk about, is guns. And that's very important to so many Americans.
And it's interesting that you have gotten the endorsement of someone we know well, Fred Guttenberg, who is one of the fathers of one of the Parkland kids -- students -- who was gunned down in that massacre, and so I just want to play a little portion because I think this is really important about what Fred says about Joe Biden, so listen to this.
FRED GUTTENBERG, FATHER OF PARKLAND SHOOTING VICTIM, IN AD: Vice President Biden has taken them on. He was part of that assault weapons ban that was once in place. That was a big fight -- it took fortitude -- it took guts. There's nobody that has given me advice or a path since my daughter died that has meant more than Vice President Biden.
CAMEROTA: So what is VP Biden's plan for how to fix this?
