Just over a month after the 2020 presidential election, Hunter Biden and his father’s team dropped their spin operation on Wednesday against any and all criticism of Hunter’s corruption business dealings, admitting that Hunter’s under federal investigation over his taxes.
Most importantly, there’s no word yet on whether the Biden team and their media allies (ranging from CNN to The New Work Times) will continue to argue this investigation is part of a Russian disinformation effort.
But when it came to the network evening newscasts, ABC and CBS couldn’t be bothered to each give it even a minute’s time or even allude to the efforts by those such as the New York Post and Tucker Carlson to expose his dealings in China.
ABC’s World News Tonight threw together only 29 seconds on Hunter as part of a much larger report fawning over President-Elect Joe Biden’s selection of Lloyd Austin to run the Defense Department.
Anchor David Muir noted a “developing headline involving Hunter Biden” in a tease and later shifted gears from Austin to Hunter at the tail end of ABC correspondent Mary Bruce’s report by inviting her to speak about “news....involving the President-Elect’s son.”
An ever-loyal Biden flack, Bruce downplayed it by summarizing it as a probe “over his taxes” with “specifics” “unknown.”
After touting Hunter’s insistence that he did nothing wrong, Bruce concluded: “Sources tonight tell us that this investigation began in 2018, well before Joe Biden launched his candidacy.”
Given how ABC couldn’t dare to speak ill of China due to parent company Disney’s business dealings there, one isn’t entirely surprised.
The CBS Evening News gave the Hunter investigation 43 seconds, but it wasn’t much better. Anchor Norah O’Donnell similarly downplayed the revelation, saying that the Lloyd “announcement comes as Mr. Biden’s son, Hunter Biden, revealed that the U.S. Attorney in Delaware is investigating his taxes.”
Political correspondent Ed O’Keefe both opened and ended his Biden report with esoteric summations of what Hunter could have been up to and how Biden was “proud of” him (click “expand”):
Hunter Biden's admission today that his tax affairs are under investigation comes as CBS News learned the FBI has been looking into the younger Biden's financial records since 2018. Hunter Biden said it will be proven he asked legally and appropriately while aides to his father said he is “proud of his son” who emerged stronger after enduring “vicious personal attacks” by Republicans during the campaign.
(....)
On that Hunter Biden investigation, CBS News has learned that law enforcement didn't actively pursue the case in the weeks leading up to November 3rd. Keeping with Justice department policy of mostly freezing political-sensitive cases leading up to Election Day, but now clearly the case is active again.
Talk about a lack of journalistic curiosity there, Ed.
Though nowhere close to anything resembling real journalism and lacking any mea culpa for having refused to cover this story for years, NBC Nightly News was able to at least spend an entire segment talking about Hunter over 79 seconds.
“As President-Elect Joe Biden moves forward with his transition, tonight there is new scrutiny of his son Hunter. A federal investigation involving his taxes,” anchor Lester Holt said in his lead-in to White House correspondent Kristen Welker’s story.
However, Welker refused to concede President Trump’s “attacks” were legitimate or utter Bobulinski’s name (click “expand”):
WELKER: Tonight, President-Elect Joe Biden's son Hunter revealing he is under federal investigation by the U.S. Attorney's office in Delaware for his taxes. In a statement, the younger Biden saying: “I take this matter very seriously but I am confident that a professional and objective review of these matters will demonstrate that I handled my affairs legally and appropriately, including with the benefit of professional tax advisers.” Hunter Biden's business dealings in Ukraine and China while his father was vice president were the target of attacks by President Trump during the campaign.
PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: Where's Hunter?
WELKER: In 2019, President Trump was impeached for pressuring the president of Ukraine to investigate the Bidens but was ultimately acquitted. Hunter Biden denying any wrongdoing. I pressed Joe Biden in the final presidential election. [TO BIDEN] [on 10/22/20] In retrospect, was anything about those relationships inappropriate or unethical?
JOE BIDEN [on 10/22/20]: Not one single solitary thing was out of line. Not a single thing.
WELKER: Tonight, a spokesperson saying Biden’s deeply proud of his son. The Justice Department declining to comment.
So with the liberal networks largely refusing to go into any specifics over the last few months about what Hunter Biden has been up to in his adult life or continually speak ill of their beloved China, it was no surprise that ABC, CBS, and NBC decided to do the bare minimum and hope that viewers take their medicine and move on.
Thankfully, more than a few Americans know better.
This latest act of media deference toward the Biden family was made possible by advertisers such as Dove (on ABC), Google (on NBC), and TD Ameritrade (on CBS). Follow the links to the MRC’s Conservatives Fight Back page.
To see the relevant transcripts from December 9, click “expand.”
ABC’s World News Tonight with David Muir
December 9, 2020
6:31 p.m. Eastern [TEASE][ON-SCREEN HEADLINE:
DAVID MUIR: President-Elect Joe Biden's historic pick for defense secretary. Retired four-star General Lloyd Austin poised to become the first African-American to lead the Pentagon and what he said about the significance of that. And tonight, the potential push-back from some Democrats. And the developing headline involving Hunter Biden tonight, who now says he's under federal investigation.
(....)
6:40 p.m. Eastern
[ON-SCREEN HEADLINE: Historic Defense Nomination]
MUIR: Meantime tonight, Joe Biden officially introducing his nominee for defense secretary today. Retired General Lloyd Austin, the first African-American to be tapped to lead the Pentagon. The general himself spoke of the history of this choice and paid tribute today to other African-Americans who have broken barriers in the U.S. armed services. Among them, retired general Colin Powell, who later served as secretary of state and who today called Austin “a superb choice.” Here's Mary Bruce.
[ON-SCREEN HEADLINE: Breaking News; Historic Defense Nomination; Gen. Austin Would Need Waiver to Lead Pentagon]
MARY BRUCE: President-Elect Joe Biden today introducing his history-making pick for defense secretary. Retired army general Lloyd Austin, now the first African-American to be nominated for the post, but not without controversy.
JOE BIDEN: He's loved by the men and women of the armed forces, feared by our adversaries, known and respected by our allies.
BRUCE: Austin paying tribute to the African-Americans who paved his way in the military.
LLOYD AUSTIN: I am supremely grateful to all of them for their courage, for their determination, and for the example that they set throughout and they include the Tuskegee Airmen and the Montford Point Marines and many others.
BRUCE: Tonight, former Defense Secretary Bob Gates and former Secretary of State Colin Powell both describing Austin as a superb choice. He spent 41 years in uniform, retiring just four years ago after leading U.S. Central Command. That means he will need a waiver from Congress to lead the Pentagon, since he has not been out of uniform the required seven years. Tonight, some on the hill already say they're opposed.
SENATOR TAMMY DUCKWORTH (D-IL) [on MSNBC’s Andrea Mitchell Reports, 12/09/20]: I will not vote for waiver. I believe very strongly that there needs to be civilian control — civilian oversight of the military.
BRUCE: Congress approved a waiver for President Trump's first secretary of defense, retired General Jim Mattis. Biden well aware this would become an issue.
BIDEN: I would not be asking for this exception if had not -- if I did not believe this moment in our history didn't call for it. It does call for it. He is the person we need at this moment, in my view.
BRUCE: Austin making it clear he realizes the critical distinction between serving in uniform and serving as a civilian.
AUSTIN: I recognize that being a member of the president's cabinet requires a different perspective and unique responsibilities from a career in uniform and I intend to keep this at the forefront of my mind.
MUIR: That was the scene earlier today. Mary Bruce with us live tonight from Washington and Mary, I know there's also news tonight involving the President-Elect's son, Hunter Biden.
BRUCE: David, Hunter Biden says he is being investigated by federal prosecutors in Delaware over his taxes. Now, the specifics of this investigation are unknown, but in a statement, Hunter Biden says he is taking the matter very seriously and is confident that he handled his affairs, “legally and appropriately.” Sources tonight tell us that this investigation began in 2018, well before Joe Biden launched his candidacy. David?
MUIR: Alright, Mary Bruce with us tonight. Thank you, Mary.
-------------------------------------------
CBS Evening News with Norah O’Donnell
December 9, 2020
6:31 p.m. Eastern [TEASE][ON-SCREEN HEADLINE: Breaking News; Historic Nomination]
NORAH O’DONNELL: Historic nomination, the President-Elect picks four star general Lloyd Austin for secretary of defense. Why some Democrats opposed his nomination.
[ON-SCREEN HEADLINE: Breaking News; Under Investigation]
Plus Hunter Biden says he’s under federal criminal investigation for his taxes, what we are learning tonight.
(....)
6:40 p.m. Eastern
[ON-SCREEN HEADLINE: Breaking News; Hunter Biden Under Investigation Over “Tax Affairs”]
O’DONNELL: Today President-Elect Biden introduced his latest pick for a senior cabinet post nominating retired General Lloyd Austin to leave the Pentagon and the announcement comes as Mr. Biden’s son, Hunter Biden, revealed that the U.S. Attorney in Delaware is investigating his taxes. Here is CBS’s Ed O’Keefe.
ED O’KEEFE: Hunter Biden's admission today that his tax affairs are under investigation comes as CBS News learned the FBI has been looking into the younger Biden's financial records since 2018. Hunter Biden said it will be proven he asked legally and appropriately while aides to his father said he is “proud of his son” who emerged stronger after enduring “vicious personal attacks” by Republicans during the campaign. Meanwhile the President-Elect today introduced his choice to run the Defense Department, retired four star Army general Lloyd Austin.
[ON-SCREEN HEADLINE: Breaking News; Biden Nominates Retired General Lloyd Austin as Defense Secretary]
JOE BIDEN: He is the person we need at this moment.
O’KEEFE: A West Point graduate who commanded U.S. forces in Iraq before leaving Central Command, Austin would be the first African-American to run the Pentagon.
BIDEN: More than 40 percent of our active duty forces are people of color. It's long past time that the department's leadership reflects that diversity.
O’KEEFE: Austin invokes those who came before him. The Buffalo soldiers, Tuskegee Airmen and his mentor, Colin Powell.
LLOYD AUSTIN: As Sir Isaac Newton famously said, if I have seen a little further, it is by standing on the shoulders of giants.
O’KEEFE: But the former general's nomination is facing resistance from some Democrats who oppose passing the civilian waiver necessary to allow a former uniformed commander like Austin to take a senior Pentagon job. Today even the senate's top Democrat was noncommittal.
SENATE MINORITY LEADER CHUCK SCHUMER (D-NY): I haven't talked to my colleagues yet about that. I want to hear what they have to say.
O’KEEFE: Congress has only granted the waiver twice before, most recently for President Trump's first defense chief former Marine general James Mattis.
BIDEN: Just as they did for Secretary Jim Mattis, I ask the Congress to grant a waiver for secretary designate Austin.
O’KEEFE: Austin said he understands the concerns.
AUSTIN: I recognize that being a member of the president's cabinet requires a different perspective and unique responsibilities from a career in uniform. And I intend to keep this at the forefront of my mind.
O’KEEFE: On that Hunter Biden investigation, CBS News has learned that law enforcement didn't actively pursue the case in the weeks leading up to November 3rd. Keeping with Justice department policy of mostly freezing political-sensitive cases leading up to Election Day, but now clearly the case is active again, Norah?
O’DONNELL: Ed O’Keefe there, thank you.
-------------------------------------------
NBC Nightly News with Lester Holt
December 9, 2020
7:01 p.m. Eastern [TEASE][ON-SCREEN HEADLINE: Breaking News; Hunter Biden Federal Investigation]
LESTER HOLT: Joe Biden's son Hunter revealing that the taxes are under federal investigation. The reaction tonight from the President-Elect.
(....)
7:11 p.m. Eastern
[ON-SCREEN HEADLINE: Breaking News; Hunter Biden Federal Investigation
HOLT: As President-Elect Joe Biden moves forward with his transition, tonight there is new scrutiny of his son Hunter. A federal investigation involving his taxes. Let's get more from NBC's Kristen Welker.
[ON-SCREEN HEADLINE: Breaking News; Hunter Biden Says Taxes Under Federal Investigation]
KRISTEN WELKER: Tonight, President-Elect Joe Biden's son Hunter revealing he is under federal investigation by the U.S. Attorney's office in Delaware for his taxes. In a statement, the younger Biden saying: “I take this matter very seriously but I am confident that a professional and objective review of these matters will demonstrate that I handled my affairs legally and appropriately, including with the benefit of professional tax advisers.” Hunter Biden's business dealings in Ukraine and China while his father was vice president were the target of attacks by president Trump during the campaign.
PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: Where's Hunter?
WELKER: In 2019, President Trump was impeached for pressuring the president of Ukraine to investigate the Bidens but was ultimately acquitted. Hunter Biden denying any wrongdoing. I pressed Joe Biden in the final presidential election. [TO BIDEN] [on 10/22/20] In retrospect, was anything about those relationships inappropriate or unethical?
JOE BIDEN [on 10/22/20]: Not one single solitary thing was out of line. Not a single thing.
WELKER: Tonight, a spokesperson saying Biden’s deeply proud of his son. The Justice Department declining to comment. Lester?
HOLT: Kristen Welker, thanks.
