If you expected ABC, CBS, NBC, PBS, and NPR would offer a sober and substantive story on James Biden testifying behind closed doors in the House impeachment inquiry on Wednesday night, you'd be deeply disappointed. These networks all aired a story, but the narrative was overwhelmingly focused on indicted FBI confidential informant Alexander Smirnov and his unproven claims that Joe and Hunter Biden were offered $5 million each in bribes.
Overall, the networks offered 920 seconds of coverage focused on Smirnov, and 143 seconds on James Biden. So that's 86.5 percent for Smirnov, 13.5 percent for Uncle Jimmy.
-- ABC offered 44 seconds of James Biden, to 141 seconds on Smirnov. Anchor David Muir opened: “As our Pierre Thomas tonight asks Republicans in the House, how do you move forward if the main informant was lying?”
PIERRE THOMAS: But Republicans, who have uncovered no evidence president Biden committed impeachable offenses, pressing anyway...Today, calling the president's brother James Biden to testify. No comment outside, but behind closed doors, James Biden telling lawmakers his brother has never had any involvement or any direct or indirect financial interest in his business dealings. Biden adding, I never asked my brother to take any official action on behalf of me, my business associates, or anyone else.
-- CBS spent two minutes and five seconds on Smirnov and how he put the impeachment inquiry "in jeopardy," and just 18 seconds on James Biden, all preposterous denial:
SCOTT MacFARLANE: The president`s younger brother James arrived ahead of his interview with congressional investigators as Republicans tried to salvage their impeachment inquiry into President Biden.
REPORTER: You got any thoughts on this?
REP. ANDY BIGGS (R-Arizona): No, no, because -- because there`s other corroborating evidence with other -- other links to -- to the president.
MacFARLANE: James Biden told the panel the president had no role in his business ventures, saying: "I never asked my brother to take any official action on behalf of me or anyone else."
-- NBC spent only 61 seconds on the House inquiry with reporter Ryan Nobles, who relayed James said "his brother did not have any direct or indirect involvement in any of his work, this despite Republicans making claims that James Biden was using his connections to his brother to drum up business.”
'NBC Nightly News' could only spend about a minute on the "Republican-controlled" House Oversight hearing, and in the 30 seconds on James Biden, Ryan Nobles just repeated the bunk that James said "his brother did not have any direct or indirect involvement in any of his work." pic.twitter.com/PdWzKZ6Jst
— Tim Graham (@TimJGraham) February 22, 2024
-- PBS presented eight minutes and 22 seconds with a Democrat expert, but seven minutes was devoted to Smirnov, and the rest on Ukraine. The taxpayer-funded network story didn't even mention James Biden!
-- NPR interviewed their congressional reporter, and only 50 seconds was devoted to James Biden (mostly denials), and the other 204 seconds focused on Smirnov.
MARY LOUISE KELLY: Which brings us to President Biden's brother, James Biden. We said he was on Capitol Hill today - a closed-door deposition. Did we get any readout?
RYAN LUCAS: Well, we know from a copy of his opening statement to lawmakers that James Biden told them that his brother, President Biden, has never had any involvement or financial interest in James' business dealings. He also said that he never asked his brother to take any official action on his behalf or anyone else's behalf. That said, we do not have a full picture, at this point, of everything that was said behind closed doors.
PS CBS Mornings on Thursday spent two minutes and 18 seconds on an impeachment inquiry story, but James Biden was only mentioned for 17 seconds. ABC and NBC moved on.
