For months, there has been a steady drip of information coming from the House Oversight Committee and government whistleblowers about how the Department of Justice had given Hunter Biden “special privileges not afforded to other Americans.” But despite the mounting evidence that President Biden’s son was getting the sweetheart treatment, Tuesday’s CNN This Morning looked to House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) to reassure their viewers that there was no wrongdoing.
In a letter sent to Attorney General Merrick Garland, Oversight Chairman James Comer (R-KY) called out the Department of Justice for how it “Deviated Substantially from Standard Investigative Practice During its Investigation of Hunter Biden’s Criminal Conduct.” Their concerns included “[s]uggestions to remove Hunter Biden’s name from documents, including subpoenas,” “[a]llowing the statute of limitations to lapse on tax charges,” and “[p]rohibiting IRS and FBI investigators from asking about [Joe Biden].”
CNN This Morning co-host Phil Mattingly refused to actually dig into any of the evidence pointing to the possibility that the Hunter Biden corruption investigation was mishandled to benefit the President. Instead, he brought on Jeffries to shoot down the idea and tell viewers “that there hasn’t been any wrongdoing”:
I understand your point about policy and what you guys have been focusing on as a caucus, but you have a role – your ranking members have a role in kind of this back and forth when they go down this path defending the President, defending the President's family to some agree. Are you confident when you look at what the Justice Department has done, when you look at the investigations into Hunter Biden that the Republicans have pursued up to this point, that there hasn't been any wrongdoing, everything is above board?
“Yes, I'm extremely confident,” Jeffries proclaimed. He then bloviated about how “The American people know fundamentally Joe Biden is a good and decent man who has dedicated his life to public service and will continue to serve the people honorably and admirably.”
Mattingly also wanted Jeffries’s take on Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s (R-CA) warning that Republicans were prepared to launch an impeachment inquiry if the Bidens refused to comply with House investigators. He then teeed up his guest just to attack Republicans:
MATTINGLY: I want to start there because it feels like it's no longer an if, but a when, potentially as soon as the end of next month is what our colleague Melanie Zanona, who I know you know quite well, has been reporting. Your response to Republicans inching towards launching an impeachment inquiry into the President?
JEFFRIES: Well, throughout this year the American people have been forced to deal with a do-nothing, extreme Republican Congress that has done nothing to make a difference in the economy, nothing to make a difference with respect to job creation, nothing as it relates to health care affordability, nothing as to relates to inflation, nothing as it relates to public safety. They have nothing to show for their majority throughout the year.
The CNN host went on to question if an impeachment inquiry would be a boon to Democrats in the House. “Do you feel like politically it would be advantageous for you if they decide to go down this path?” he wondered, taking a starkly different tone in contrast to the Democratic Party impeachments of former President Trump.
CNN’s desperate attempt to suggest there was no wrongdoing in the Hunter Biden corruption probe was made possible because of lucrative sponsorships from 4imprint and LeafFilter. Their contact information is linked.
The transcript is below, click "expand" to read:
CNN This Morning
August 29, 2023
8:12:33 a.m. EasternPHIL MATTINGLY: While Donald Trump stares down 91 felony charges across four different criminal cases. Some House Republicans are turning attention – have been turning their attention toward President Joe Biden. Sources tell CNN that House Speaker Kevin McCarthy and other top Republicans have privately start to strategize about how to move forward with an impeachment inquiry into Biden this fall. It's something McCarthy has been hinting at publicly for several months.
[Cuts to soundbite]
SPEAKER KEVIN MCCARTHY (R-CA): The hole determination here is how the Bidens handle this. If they provide us the documents, there wouldn't be a need for an impeachment inquiry. But if they withhold the documents and fight like they have now to not provide to the American public what they deserve to know, we will move forward with an impeachment inquiry when we come back into session.
[Cuts back to live]
MATTINGLY: Well, joining us now New York Congressman and House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries. Sir, thanks so much for taking the time.
REP. HAKEEM JEFFRIES (D-NY): Morning.
MATTINGLY: I want to start there because it feels like it's no longer an if, but a when, potentially as soon as the end of next month is what our colleague Melanie Zanona, who I know you know quite well, has been reporting.
Your response to Republicans inching towards launching an impeachment inquiry into the President?
JEFFRIES: Well, throughout this year the American people have been forced to deal with a do-nothing, extreme Republican Congress that has done nothing to make a difference in the economy, nothing to make a difference with respect to job creation, nothing as it relates to health care affordability, nothing as to relates to inflation, nothing as it relates to public safety. They have nothing to show for their majority throughout the year.
And so, as a natural consequence of that, they just continue to take orders from Donald Trump. Their puppet master-in-chief, who has directed them to persecute and to go after Joe Biden, which may take the form of an illegitimate impeachment inquiry.
MATTINGLY: Do you feel – You know, one of the things our colleagues have been reporting, Melanie and others, is they’re not going to have a vote to launch the impeachment inquiry because they don't have 218 votes. Mainly because frontline Republicans, the majority makers – many of which – many of them come from your state of New York, aren't necessarily there yet. I’ve talked to some of them behind the scenes. They say exactly that.
Do you feel like politically it would be advantageous for you if they decide to go down this path?
JEFFRIES: Well, I will leave the political assessments to others. I think that, from a policy perspective, it's exactly the wrong thing do. As House Democrats we’re going to continue to focus for delivering for everyday Americans, making a difference in the lives of everyday Americans.
(…)
8:15:50 a.m. Eastern
MATTINGLY: I do want to ask you about both the economy and on the Jacksonville shooting and gun safety in a second. But I do have one more.
We had the key House Republicans yesterday wrote to Attorney General Merrick Garland demanding information about the investigation into Hunter Biden saying, quote, “Since the early days of the investigation concerning Hunter Biden, DOJ has deviated from its standard investigative procedure and afforded Hunter Biden special privileges not afforded to other Americans.”
I understand your point about policy and what you guys have been focusing on as a caucus, but you have a role – your ranking members have a role in kind of this back and forth when they go down this path defending the President, defending the President's family to some agree.
Are you confident when you look at what the Justice Department has done, when you look at the investigations into Hunter Biden that the Republicans have pursued up to this point, that there hasn't been any wrongdoing, everything is above board?
JEFFRIES: Yes, I'm extremely confident.
The American people know fundamentally Joe Biden is a good and decent man who has dedicated his life to public service and will continue to serve the people honorably and admirably.
(…)
