Monday on CBS Mornings, co-host and Democratic Party donor Gayle King closed the show with a nauseatingly soft interview with President Biden’s sister Valerie Biden Owens on how her new autobiography “[gave] us a lot of insight to your brother” and “illuminat[ed]...who he is.” Two of the six minutes touched on her nephew Hunter Biden’s life of corruption and legal problems, but King allowed Owens to skirt by.
The interview itself was particularly embarrassing as Owens was given a puff piece ten days earlier by CBS Evening News anchor Norah O’Donnell that ran on April 1's Evening News and April 3's CBS News Sunday Morning. And even more curious was that while many of the books receiving billing on CBS shows were published by sister company Simon & Schuster, this book wasn’t.
King pivoted to Hunter questions after discussing a story of Biden and Owens growing up as proof that “[y]our family is extremely close and you give many instances of that and how the two of you have protected each other.”
“And now the family is in the news, mainly because of Hunter Biden and your brother. Is Hunter a problem for the family in your opinion,” King asked.
Owens immediately shot back “no,” leaving King to follow up with a pathetic question:
[H]e certainly is under a microscope and a lot of people are looking at his business dealings. Was it on the up and up? Was it not on the up and up? Was Joe Biden involved? Was Jimmy Biden involved? What do you want to say about that?
Owens said the reason she “wasn’t enthusiastic” about her brother’s 2020 presidential campaign because “it would be ugly and mean, and it would be an attack on my brother, Joe, personally and professionally, because the former President is very intent on bringing my brother down.”
Continuing to blame the Trumps and not Hunter’s sleazy behavior (even putting aside his alleged impregnating of a stripper and sleeping with his late brother’s widow), Owens said she knew Trump would use Hunter to attack the now-President.
King asked what the Trumps “have got to do with Hunter,” so Owens lobbed an unchecked, pants-on-fire claim that Hunter’s been under fire “because of all the policies and the principles that Joe stood for, but he thought that the weak link would be, you know, to attack my brother’s child.”
Owens went onto cite Hunter having “written in exquisite detail about his struggle with addition and walk through hell,” which King repeatedly interjected with “mmhmm’s” in agreement (instead of actually pushing back).
The left-wing co-host tried again before ending with a 2024 question: “We’re not talking about addiction though, we’re talking about business dealings, and I’ll move on from that. Do you think there’s nothing? There’s not a there, there in your opinion?”
“I’ll move on from that?” There are no words for how dumb this was.
Though the U.S. Attorney in Delaware would beg to differ, Owens told King that there’s never been “a there there since it was mentioned in 2019 or wherever it first was.”
Earlier on, King was caught on a hot mic coaching Owens to focus on her as if there wasn’t anyone else in the room and starting off with open-ended softballs that continued throughout (click “expand”):
KING: She writes about being the only girl in a family of brothers and one of the few women at the table during much of her career. Valerie Biden Owens joins us in the studio...[C]ongratulations on your book because I think you give us a lot of insight to your brother, give us a lot of insight into your relationship, but when you guys were growing up, you — your — he was — when you did his first campaign, you were 25? Twenty six?
(....)
KING: But you had no experience running campaigns. Why did you think you could do this? And why did he trust you?
(....)
KING: You know, one of the — one of the most telling stories to me in the book was when you all were going to college and the family didn’t have enough money. And they said —
OWENS: Yeah.
KING: — and would you tell us — I think it’s so illuminating about who he is and who you are. You didn’t have enough money for both of you to go, and so your brother Joe goes to your parents and says —
OWENS: Okay, I could go and commute.
KING: — yes.
OWENS: And my father sold cars, so he was able to get a car from the dealership at a reasonable rate that I could come back and forth.
(....)
KING: Well I’ll do the last line in your book, if you don’t mind, 274, “Kindness reverberates. What you say and do matters. That’s what I learned growing up Biden.”
CBS’s latest Biden propaganda and sympathy ploy for the First Family was made possible thanks to the backing of advertisers such as Hilton and Popeyes. Follow the links to see their contact information at the MRC’s Conservatives Fight Back page.
To see the relevant transcript from April 11's CBS Mornings, click “expand.”
CBS Mornings
April 11, 2022
8:39 a.m. Eastern [TEASE][ON-SCREEN HEADLINE: Coming Up; Valerie Biden Owens]
GAYLE KING: For more than five decades, President Biden’s — and I get to go [to the CMT Awards] — I’m leaving here and going on a plane.
VLADIMIR DUTHIERS: I know, you’re getting — you’re literally —as soon as the show is over.
KING: I get to go, too. I am really looking forward to that. For more than five decades, President Biden’s younger sister has been right by his side. Now, Valerie Biden Owens, there she is, there she is in the white, sitting next to her daughter, Missy. They’re in our Progressive Greenroom to discuss being part of his many campaigns. She’s got a new book. It’s called Growing up Biden, something she knows a lot about. You can call her an expert on that.
(....)
8:44 a.m. Eastern
[ON-SCREEN HEADLINE: Growing Up Biden; Valerie Biden on New Book & Role in Brother’s Political Career]
KING: Look at me. Yeah. Just pretend we’re having a — just the two of us. President Biden — yes, I’m just talking to Valerie — has been in public service for more than 50 years since winning his first campaign for New Castle City Council in Delaware. That was back in 196 — 1970, rather, and his younger sister —
VALERIE BIDEN OWENS: Much.
KING: — much younger sister, Valerie Biden Owens has been by his side the entire time. She has been a part of every one of his political campaigns, including his 2020 White House run and seven successful Senate races. Now, she’s out with a new memoir and it’s called Growing Up Biden something she knows a little bit about. She writes about being the only girl in a family of brothers and one of the few women at the table during much of her career. Valerie Biden Owens joins us in the studio. Now before you joined us on camera, Valerie was saying, “where do I look?” I want to say just look at me with admiration and adoration.
OWENS: That will be easy.
KING: Don’t look at the camera.
OWENS: That’ll be easy.
KING: Just pretend it’s just the two of us chickens here. But you know, Valerie, congratulations on your book because I think you give us a lot of insight to your brother, give us a lot of insight into your relationship, but when you guys were growing up, you — your — he was — when you did his first campaign, you were 25? Twenty six?
OWENS: Yeah, so the County Council was 1970.
KING: Yes.
OWENS: He’s three years older than I. He used to be a lot older until he wrote his book and exposed me, so —
KING: But you had no experience running campaigns. Why did you think you could do this? And why did he trust you?
OWENS: — well, I have — from the time I opened my eyes when I was a little girl, my brother had his hand out, and he said, “Come on, Val. We’ve got things to do, and places to go and people to see.” And I — he took me with him every place and when his friends would say, “Why did you bring a girl?” His answer was, “She’s not a girl. She’s my sister.”
KING: Yeah.
OWENS: He told me that whatever he could do, I could do better. He said, I was smarter, nicer, kinder. It was not all — it couldn’t possibly be true —
KING: Mmhmm.
OWENS: — but he leaves so much in me that I owed it to him and to myself to try and be the young girl that he thought I could be.
KING: You know, one of the — one of the most telling stories to me in the book was when you all were going to college and the family didn’t have enough money. And they said —
OWENS: Yeah.
KING: — and would you tell us — I think it’s so illuminating about who he is and who you are. You didn’t have enough money for both of you to go, and so your brother Joe goes to your parents and says —
OWENS: Okay, I could go and commute.
KING: — yes.
OWENS: And my father sold cars, so he was able to get a car from the dealership at a reasonable rate that I could come back and forth.
KING: Mmhmm.
OWENS: But I wanted to go and live on college —
KING: On campus.
OWENS: — on campus And my brother, unbeknownst to me at the time said, “Come on, I want to talk to dad and mom.” And he said, “Look, I’m not going to go back. I’m going to finish college for sure —
KING: Yeah.
OWENS: — but I’m going to take a year off and earn enough money so that I can pay for my tuition and send Val this year.”
KING: Yeeah. He said, let her go instead of me because she’s smarter and she deserves to go.
OWENS: Yeah, yeah, he was — I mean, it was shocking and my father was — somehow found a way to make it happen that we could both go. My father, very much wanted to be able to send us, but my brother handled it with a great deal of dignity for my father.
KING: And then he was always looking out for you. Your family is extremely close and you give many instances of that and how the two of you have protected each other and now the family is in the news, mainly because of Hunter Biden and your brother. Is Hunter a problem for the family in your opinion?
OWENS: No. No, look —
KING: But because he certainly is under a microscope —
OWENS: Yes.
KING: — and a lot of people are looking at his business dealings. Was it on the up and up? Was it not on the up and up? Was Joe Biden involved? Was Jimmy Biden involved? What do you want to say about that?
OWENS: — well, I mentioned it in the book, and the only race that I wasn’t enthusiastic about Joe getting involved in was the 2020 presidency —
KING: Mmhmm.
OWENS: because I expected and was not disappointed —
KING: Mmhmm.
OWENS: — that it would be ugly and mean, and it would be an attack on my brother, Joe, personally and professionally, because the former President is very intent on bringing my brother down.
KING: But what’s that have got to do with Hunter and —
OWENS: Well, I assumed from the beginning that the former President and his entourage would — would attack my brother by going and —
KING: — after Hunter, yes.
OWENS: — attacking the family and because of all the policies and the principles that Joe stood for, but he thought that the weak link would be, you know, to attack my brother’s child.
KING: Mmhmm.
OWENS: And, you know, Hunter has written in exquisite detail —
KING: Mmhmm.
OWENS: — about his struggle with addiction —
KING: Mmhmm.
OWENS: — his walk through hell —
KING: Mmhmm.
OWENS: — and I am so grateful that he has been able to walk out of hell —
KING: Mmhmm.
OWENS: — but I don’t think that there is a family in this country who hasn’t tasted it or felt what it’s like to see someone struggle with addiction.
KING: We’re not talking about addiction though, we’re talking about business dealings, and I’ll move on from that. Do you think there’s nothing? There’s not a there, there in your opinion?
OWENS: There hasn’t been a there, there since it was mentioned in —
KING: Okay.
OWENS: — in 2019 or wherever it first was.
KING: Do you think your brother should run again in 2024?
OWENS: Sure, yes. I think my brother
KING: Why?
OWENS: — is the right person at the right time for all the right reasons. And when you look at a President or any leader —
KING: Mmhmm.
OWENS: — what you look for is temperament, empathy, character,
KING: Mmhmm.
OWENS: — integrity, and accomplishments, and that makes Joe a great leader and he should continue.
KING: Well I’ll do the last line in your book, if you don’t mind, 274, “Kindness reverberates. What you say and do matters. That’s what I learned growing up Biden.” Thank you very much, Valerie Biden Owens.
OWENS: You are welcome. Thank you.
KING: The book goes on sale tomorrow.
