On Wednesday, both MSNBC and CNN finally acknowledged how serious the Hunter Biden scandals have become and even admitted the possibility that the President’s son could be brought up on federal charges for a list of alleged crimes revolving around his suspicious foreign business dealings.
“The Washington Post reporting, and a lot of other reporting, on Hunter Biden has been, you know, disturbing. There’s been a lot of – there’s a lot of smoke there,” MSNBC anchor Andrea Mitchell admitted near the end of her 12:00 p.m. ET hour show. That followed Republican communications adviser Brendan Buck calling the younger Biden “a shady dude” who is “not above scrutiny.”
In response to Mitchell, Washington Post deputy national editor Phil Rucker cited the new reporting from his paper:
What we’ve done is rigorously try to report out, as best we can, Hunter Biden’s business dealings in China and around the world and my colleagues Matt Viser, Tom Hamburger, and Craig Timberg have a great new investigative piece out today on that front. But we’re trying to go use facts and what’s available publicly, and what we as Washington Post journalists can understand about his business record, and bring that to the public, because he is the son of a president.
After hack White House correspondent John Harwood desperately tried to dismiss the scandal swirling around Hunter Biden as something of “not much public import” early on CNN’s New Day, later in the show, co-host Brianna Keilar declared things to be “very, very bad for the President’s son.”
She informed viewers in the 7:00 a.m. ET hour:
We have some brand-new CNN reporting. A Justice Department investigation on Hunter Biden, the President’s son, has intensified over the last several months. The investigation has been going on since 2018. And this stems from Biden’s business dealings – from Hunter Biden’s business dealings in foreign countries like Ukraine while his father was serving as vice president.
Senior justice correspondent Evan Perez followed: “And right now prosecutors in Delaware are focusing on a number of things, including whether Hunter Biden and some of his business associates violated laws, including tax and money laundering laws and foreign lobbying laws.” He added: “A lot of activity has picked up. We know witnesses have gone in to talk to the grand jury in Delaware.”
Perez concluded: “But obviously, as you pointed out, this is a political mess for the sitting president to have his son being investigated by the Justice Department, his own Justice Department.”
Keilar turned to senior legal analyst Elie Honig, who saw serious legal jeopardy for Hunter Biden:
Well, Brianna, this is a very real, very substantial investigation of potentially serious federal crimes....and there is a realistic chance this could result in federal charges. Of course then we’d be in unprecedented political territory, not legal territory, but a situation of having potentially the Justice Department prosecuting and trying to imprison the son of the President.
It’s now up to media outlets to continue reporting on the story and give viewers the latest updates as the Justice Department investigation ramps up – not just report on it one day and then drop the coverage.
Here is a transcript of the March 30 exchange on MSNBC’s Andrea Mitchell Reports:
12:54 PM ET
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BRENDAN BUCK [FMR. CHIEF COMMUNICATIONS ADVISER TO SPEAKER RYAN]: Joe Biden’s handling of the situation in Ukraine isn’t very popular, and look, Hunter Biden is not above scrutiny. Phil’s paper today has a story about his dealings with a Chinese energy company, he’s a shady dude in a lot of ways and people – I think a lot of people understand that. But there’s a difference between fact-based questions being asked and inserting yourself in a way that could cost people’s lives in Ukraine.
ANDREA MITCHELL: Yeah, and Phil, to that point, The Washington Post reporting, and a lot of other reporting, on Hunter Biden has been, you know, disturbing. There’s been a lot of – there’s a lot of smoke there, but not what President – the former president – Trump is claiming.
PHIL RUCKER [WASHINGTON POST DEPUTY NATIONAL EDITOR]: That’s right, Andrea. What we’ve done is rigorously try to report out, as best we can, Hunter Biden’s business dealings in China and around the world and my colleagues Matt Viser, Tom Hamburger, and Craig Timberg have a great new investigative piece out today on that front. But we’re trying to go use facts and what’s available publicly, and what we as Washington Post journalists can understand about his business record, and bring that to the public, because he is the son of a president. But it’s not dealing in these falsehoods and conspiracies that former President Trump seems to be occupying his time with.
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Here is a transcript of the discussion on CNN’s New Day:
7:30 AM ET
BRIANNA KEILAR: We have some brand-new CNN reporting. A Justice Department investigation on Hunter Biden, the President’s son, has intensified over the last several months. The investigation has been going on since 2018. And this stems from Biden’s business dealings – from Hunter Biden’s business dealings in foreign countries like Ukraine while his father was serving as vice president. Sources tell CNN that President Biden is not being investigated in relation to his son’s dealings. Joining me now is CNN senior justice correspondent Evan Perez and CNN senior legal analyst Elie Honig. Evan, just lay out your reporting here because this is very, very bad for the President’s son.
EVAN PEREZ [CNN SENIOR JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT]: It is. And it’s an investigation, as you pointed out, going back to 2018. And right now prosecutors in Delaware are focusing on a number of things, including whether Hunter Biden and some of his business associates violated laws, including tax and money laundering laws and foreign lobbying laws.
A lot of this has to do with Hunter Biden’s time working with this company called Burisma, an energy company in Ukraine. He was getting paid as much as $50,000 a month for that company during a time that the – Joe Biden, his father, was Vice President, was in charge of handling Ukraine issues for the Obama administration. And that of course raised questions of a conflict.
And so what we know is this investigation, you know for a while, it has been going on. And it seemed to – not a lot was going on until recently. A lot of activity has picked up. We know witnesses have gone in to talk to the grand jury in Delaware. We know of witnesses who are going in to talk to investigators in the next few weeks. So we know that there’s a lot of activity now picking up.
He’s not been charged. He says that they’re – Hunter Biden says that he committed no wrongdoing and he says at the end of this he believes he’ll be cleared. But obviously, as you pointed out, this is a political mess for the sitting president to have his son being investigated by the Justice Department, his own Justice Department.
KEILAR: Yeah, he was making a lot of money doing something he definitely should not have been doing while his dad was Vice President...
PEREZ: Right.
KEILAR: ...and overseeing that portfolio. Elie, how do you see this?
ELIE HONIG [CNN SENIOR LEGAL ANALYST]: Well, Brianna, this is a very real, very substantial investigation of potentially serious federal crimes. We are seeing federal prosecutors in Delaware do exactly what you would expect to see federal prosecutors do in this situation. They’re talking to witnesses, bringing people into the grand jury, issuing subpoenas. And I would expect, as Evan reported, they’re now gaining steam. And they need to make a decision, I think, in the at least intermediate future. This case has been going on for four years and there is a realistic chance this could result in federal charges. Of course then we’d be in unprecedented political territory, not legal territory, but a situation of having potentially the Justice Department prosecuting and trying to imprison the son of the President.
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