When Washington Post associate editor and MSNBC host Jonathan Capehart and New York Times columnist David Brooks recapped former President Donald Trump’s conviction on PBS NewsHour one week ago, they hailed it as a victory for the rule of law and warned that anyone who dissented was simply being political and a grave threat to institutions. When it came to discussing Hunter Biden’s trial on Friday, they sang a different song.
Host Amna Nawaz declared, “I think it's fair to say it was a very tough week, a lot of personal and embarrassing anecdotes and details that came out from a number of people, Beau Biden's widow and his ex-wife — Hunter Biden's ex-wife as well.”
She then asked, “I'm just curious about how you both view the place that this trial holds right now in our political and social conversations. And what kind of impact do you think it's having on people paying attention?”
Capehart mourned, “Well, the place this trial holds, unfortunately, is latched on to the criminal proceedings of the former president, of Donald Trump.”
Continuing in his lamentations, Capehart added, “Republicans have been trying to make Hunter Biden an issue for President Biden in an attempt to bring him down and the — quote, unquote — "Biden crime family." But what we have in this trial in Wilmington has nothing to do with any kind of policy or any of the other things that Republicans have been talking about.”
And the falsification of business records to cover up an affair with a porn star was?
It was not enough for Capehart to show his hypocrisy, next, he had to show that he forgot that a judge tossed out the original plea deal, “We're talking about a drug addict who had a very bad problem, lied on some government forms, is being held accountable, and is being held accountable in a court of law, where all the messiness is coming out.”
Capehart concluded his remarks by claiming Hunter’s trial will help his father politically, “And I think the one thing that I might inure to the president's benefit and his family's benefit is what they're going through is what millions of American families are going through. And so, in the end, I think this will be — the Hunter Biden court case, this court case will fall into that bucket, and it'll be very empathetic, I think.”
As for Brooks, he “felt sort of dirty following the trial. I mean, he's a lost soul. I mean, he's — the guy is in the shadow of his father. He's in the shadow of his really kind of amazing brother.”
For Brooks, nobody is above the law, not even the former president… well, except for the current president’s son, “And he's lost, and he has a drug problem. And drug addiction leads you to horrible things. It leads you to wandering around the middle of the night trying to get your supply. And it's unpleasant to look at. And so I just thought this wouldn't have been tried if it wasn't the son of the president, in my view.”
Brooks wrapped up by again declaring, “I just felt creepy that we're all exposed to this. And let him have some dignity. Will it affect the election? Absolutely not. The conviction of Donald Trump I don't think is affecting the election. So whatever happens to Hunter Biden, I don't think it will affect the election. So I don't think so.”
It certainly won’t affect the election if PBS has anything to do about it.
Here is a transcript for the June 7 show:
PBS NewsHour
6/7/2024
7:27 PM ET
AMNA NAWAZ: I do want to briefly also get both of your takes on the Hunter Biden trial this week, which was under way. It's a criminal trial on federal gun charges alleging he lied about his drug addiction when purchasing a weapon back in 2018.
I think it's fair to say it was a very tough week, a lot of personal and embarrassing anecdotes and details that came out from a number of people, Beau Biden's widow and his ex-wife — Hunter Biden's ex-wife as well. I'm just curious about how you both view the place that this trial holds right now in our political and social conversations.
And what kind of impact do you think it's having on people paying attention?
JONATHAN CAPEHART: Well, the place this trial holds, unfortunately, is latched on to the criminal proceedings of the former president, of Donald Trump.
Republicans have been trying to make Hunter Biden an issue for President Biden in an attempt to bring him down and the — quote, unquote — "Biden crime family." But what we have in this trial in Wilmington has nothing to do with any kind of policy or any of the other things that Republicans have been talking about.
We're talking about a drug addict who had a very bad problem, lied on some government forms, is being held accountable, and is being held accountable in a court of law, where all the messiness is coming out.
And I think the one thing that I might inure to the president's benefit and his family's benefit is what they're going through is what millions of American families are going through. And so, in the end, I think this will be — the Hunter Biden court case, this court case will fall into that bucket, and it'll be very empathetic, I think.
DAVID BROOKS: I felt sort of dirty following the trial. I mean, he's a lost soul. I mean, he's — the guy is in the shadow of his father. He's in the shadow of his really kind of amazing brother.
And he's lost, and he has a drug problem. And drug addiction leads you to horrible things. It leads you to wandering around the middle of the night trying to get your supply. And it's unpleasant to look at. And so I just thought this wouldn't have been tried if it wasn't the son of the president, in my view.
And so I just felt creepy that we're all exposed to this. And let him have some dignity. Will it affect the election? Absolutely not. The conviction of Donald Trump I don't think is affecting the election. So whatever happens to Hunter Biden, I don't think it will affect the election. So I don't think so.
