Hunter Biden’s conviction on federal gun charges set the Regime Media into a firefighting frenzy with the aim of Protecting the Precious- in other words, ensuring that President Joe Biden faces as little political damage as possible over the verdict, and safeguarding the post-conviction narrative.
The most emblematic of this coverage comes via the most Biden-servile of the major three network newscasts. Here’s David Muir’s introduction to coverage of the verdict on ABC World News Tonight, which might have been serviceable as a standalone brief, but is needlessly cumbersome as an anchor intro to a longer report (click “expand” for transcript):
DAVID MUIR: Good evening and we begin tonight with the historic verdict. For the first time, the child of a sitting president has been convicted of a felony. Hunter Biden found guilty on all three felony counts for lying on a federal form about his drug use when he bought a gun in 2018. Hunter Biden had that gun for 11 days. His candor about his battle with addiction used against him in court. After the verdict today, Hunter Biden seen leaving the courthouse holding his wife's hand and holding the First Lady's hand, as well. Jill Biden was there every day but one as her son was on trial. Tonight here, we take you inside the jury room. Two jurors, and what they revealed to ABC News. That the jury at first was split right down the middle, 6-6, on whether to convict. So, what changed overnight, deliberating two hours this morning and then convicting on all counts? Tonight, President Biden issuing a statement, saying, "I am the president, but also a dad. Jill and I love our son and we are so proud of the man he is today." Adding that so many families who have had loved ones battle addiction understand the feeling of pride seeing someone you love come out the other side. Late today, you see the president greeted right there in Delaware by Hunter, his wife, and the president’s grandson, Beau.
It’s all there, really. The evocation of familial sympathy, referencing 54-year-old Hunter as A CHILD. Hunter walking out of court holding First Lady Doctor Jill Biden’s hand, President Joe Biden’s statement of support, the lament that Hunter’s addiction was used against him, and the presidential embrace. These were the themes that echoed across the networks. The verdict is covered as Kennedyesque tragedy- and Wilmington is Camelot-on-the-Delaware.
The firefighting part lies in the media’s use of this verdict as a stand-in for the totality of the Biden family crimes, and in contrasting President Biden’s acceptance of this verdict with President Trump’s rightful criticism of a government that has been weaponized against him, as evidenced in the New York business records trial. Here’s ABC’s Rachel Scott:
RACHEL SCOTT: Yes, David. And the president is acknowledging tonight that his son Hunter Biden has battled addiction and has made it out on the other side, noting in his statement that it's something that many American families go through. The president has really tried to keep his distance from this case but tonight, he does say that he loves and supports his son Hunter, and also that he does ultimately respect the outcome of this verdict. It's a sharp contrast to his rival, former President Donald Trump, who continues to insist that the justice system is being weaponized against him. And it's a sign perhaps of what's still to come in this campaign.
AND NBC’s Hallie Jackson:
HALLIE JACKSON: Well, Lester, for the president it is deeply personal. And look at the timing here. Key moments like his son's sentencing, like the next trial, are likely to collide with the heart of the fall election season. That said, the guilty verdict may also undercut one of the attack lines former President Trump has used, his claims the justice system is weaponized against him, considering the guilty verdict for the president's own son.
Of course, none of the networks reported that the only reason Hunter Biden even went to trial is because the judge balked at the Department of Justice’s initial deposition of the gun charge- which was to make it go away as a diversion program that encompassed all of the other crimes Hunter appears to have been involved in, such as tax evasion and failure to register as a foreign agent (FARA)- which NBC’s Laura Jarrett sweeps under the rug as “foreign income”:
LAURA JARRETT: And that (trial) is set to start in September. He’s pleaded not guilty to charges of tax evasion in California, where prosecutors say he failed to pay taxes on millions in foreign income, instead spending that money on drugs, hotels, cars.
The Regime Media can try to pull this nonsense because they never reported on the testimony of the IRS whistleblowers, which detailed the MILLIONS spent by Hunter on, among many other things, literal “hookers and blow” in lieu of paying taxes on monies made while serving as a board member at Burisma.
This passing mention of the September trial on NBC was more than ABC and CBS could muster, which was ZERO.
News coverage on the verdict was crafted to deflect away both from the more serious charges Hunter Biden faces, and from the Biden family’s long history of peddling influence. If it weren’t for Regime Media, we’d have no media at all.
Click “expand” to view the full transcripts of the aforementioned reports as aired on their respective evening network newscasts on Tuesday, June 11th, 2024:
ABC WORLD NEWS TONIGHT:
ABC WORLD NEWS TONIGHT
6/11/24
6:32 PM
DAVID MUIR: Good evening and we begin tonight with the historic verdict. For the first time, the child of a sitting president has been convicted of a felony. Hunter Biden found guilty on all three felony counts for lying on a federal form about his drug use when he bought a gun in 2018. Hunter Biden had that gun for 11 days. His candor about his battle with addiction used against him in court. After the verdict today, Hunter Biden seen leaving the courthouse holding his wife's hand and holding the First Lady's hand, as well. Jill Biden was there every day but one as her son was on trial. Tonight here, we take you inside the jury room. Two jurors, and what they revealed to ABC News. That the jury at first was split right down the middle, 6-6, on whether to convict. So, what changed overnight, deliberating two hours this morning and then convicting on all counts? Tonight, President Biden issuing a statement, saying, "I am the president, but also a dad. Jill and I love our son and we are so proud of the man he is today." Adding that so many families who have had loved ones battle addiction understand the feeling of pride seeing someone you love come out the other side. Late today, you see the president greeted right there in Delaware by Hunter, his wife, and the president’s grandson, Beau. So, tonight here, what does Hunter Biden now face at sentencing? Dan Abrams is standing by. And ABC’s Terry Moran interviewing those two jurors and what they revealed. Terry is at the courthouse in Delaware.
TERRY MORAN: After three hours of deliberations, the jury in Hunter Biden's federal criminal trial reached a verdict. The defendant raced back to the courthouse to hear “guilty” on all three felony counts for lying about his drug use on a gun application in 2018, and for possession of a gun while abusing drugs - the first ever criminal conviction for the child of a sitting U.S. President. At first, Hunter Biden appeared stunned when he heard the word “guilty”, then he nodded, patted his lawyer on the back, and hugged his legal team and his wife. Moments later, Hunter walked out of the courthouse, hand-in-hand with his wife Melissa on one side, and his mother, the First Lady, on the other, determined to show her support. The First Lady was in that courtroom nearly every day of the trial, missing just one day for the D-Day ceremonies in Normandy, before flying right back to Delaware. Minutes after court adjourned, a statement from President Biden, acknowledging the verdict. "I am the president, but I am also a dad. Jill and I love our son, and we are so proud of the man he is today. So many families who have had loved ones battle addiction understand the feeling of pride seeing someone you love come out the other side and be so strong and resilient in recovery. And I will always be there for Hunter and the rest of our family with our love and support. Nothing will ever change that." Moments after the verdict, I met with Juror Number Ten in the garage. He revealed a remarkable scene inside the jury room when they started deliberating -- a jury split right down the middle, six and six.
JUROR #10: Believe it or not, it was a split vote.
MORAN: Six-six?
JUROR #10: Six-six.
MORAN: That was the first vote?
JUROR #10: That was the first vote.
MORAN: But that all changed when they talked it over. Juror Ten says Hunter Biden knew he was an addict when he filled out that background check. Some of the critical evidence for him -- Hunter's own text message sent the day after he bought that gun, saying he was "Waiting for a dealer named Mookie."
JUROR #10: If you're an addict, you're an addict.
MORAN: Right.
JUROR #10: This is something that sticks with you for the rest of your life.
MORAN: So you didn't buy the notion that for those few days around the purchase of the gun, he wasn't abusing drugs.
JUROR #10: No, not at all.
MORAN: Juror Number Eight, Elijah Lewis-Guy, agrees.
For you as juror, what was the most important evidence for you?
ELIJAH LEWIS-GUY: The important evidence was the form. What he put down in the form at that moment and knowing his history, that he was -- and that he was a -- a user, addict.
MORAN: And as for the historic nature of this trial?
You do know that you convicted the president's son? How do you feel about that?
LEWIS-GUY: I don't care. I shouldn't say that. I -- it's unfortunate that he's convicted, but him being the son is not what I'm thinking. I'm thinking that he did a bad thing, and actions have consequences.
MORAN: Today, the special counsel who led the investigation into Hunter Biden, the U.S. Attorney appointed by former President Trump and kept on the case by the Biden Administration, said even Hunter Biden isn't above the law.
DAVID WEISS: This case was about the illegal choices Defendant made while in the throes of addiction, his choice to lie on a government form when he bought a gun, and the choice to then possess that gun.
MORAN: President Biden also said today that he will accept the outcome of this case and will continue to respect the judicial process as Hunter considers an appeal, echoing what he told David last week in Normandy.
MUIR: As we sit here in Normandy, your son Hunter is on trial, and I know that you cannot speak about an ongoing federal prosecution. But let me ask you, will you accept the jury's outcome, their verdict, no matter what it is?
JOE BIDEN: Yes.
MUIR: And have you ruled out a pardon for your son?
BIDEN: Yes.
MORAN: Tonight, the president arriving back in Delaware, greeted by Hunter and his wife, and their son, Beau. For Hunter Biden, it was a long day of reckoning. He faces a maximum of 25 years in prison, though experts say he is unlikely to receive anything like that. And it was also for a man who says he has finally made it out from the darkness of his addictions, a day of gratitude. "I am more grateful today for the love and support I experienced this last week from Melissa, my family, my friends, and my community, than I am disappointed by the outcome. Recovery is possible by the grace of God, and I am blessed to experience that gift one day at a time."
MUIR: So let's bring in Terry Moran at the courthouse again tonight. Terry, I wanted to go back to your interviews with those jurors. It was quite revealing today, when they started deliberations, they indicated to you that the jury was split right down the middle on whether to convict. Then returning this morning, deliberating for two hours or so, and coming to a unanimous decision to convict on all charges. So, what changed?
MORAN: David, on that first six-six vote, we're told that some of the jurors just wanted to make sure they took a good, hard look at the evidence and the law, and the final issue, it turned out, was the one the defense raised. Did Hunter Biden knowingly lie on that federal form when he bought that gun? The jurors took a look at that, and the evidence, and they decided he did. David?
MUIR: Terry Moran interviewing those two jurors tonight. Terry, thank you. Let's get right to our Chief Legal Analyst Dan Abrams, and of course, Dan, everyone wants to know what Hunter Biden potentially faces here, and then what's the most likely scenario?
DAN ABRAMS: Facing up to 25 years, but more likely, would be no time at all, and it's going to be interesting to see whether the special counsel asks for any prison time. When you listen to his press conference today and you read between the lines, it sounded like he may not even ask for prison time. That’ll be a critical question is- what does he decide to request from the judge?
MUIR: You said something earlier, while we were on the air for the verdict that was intriguing. You said you look back at cases, very rare that there would be felony charges when the gun itself isn’t used in connection with another crime.
ABRAMS: Right, I haven't been able to find another federal case where there was only one gun, the gun wasn't used in connection with another crime, there were no other crimes committed, and the person had no criminal record. But that doesn't mean as a technical matter that he's not guilty.
MUIR: And the scrutiny that comes when you’re the son of a president. Dan Abrams with us tonight. Dan, thank you.
6:39:47
MUIR: President Biden, as I mentioned off the top tonight, with his son Hunter in Delaware. Let's bring in Rachel Scott live at the White House. Rachel, as we were on for the verdict, President Biden's statement first crossed, you were reading it on the air, making it very clear how the president plans to handle this deeply personal moment for the Biden family.
RACHEL SCOTT: Yes, David. And the president is acknowledging tonight that his son Hunter Biden has battled addiction and has made it out on the other side, noting in his statement that it's something that many American families go through. The president has really tried to keep his distance from this case but tonight, he does say that he loves and supports his son Hunter, and also that he does ultimately respect the outcome of this verdict. It's a sharp contrast to his rival, former President Donald Trump, who continues to insist that the justice system is being weaponized against him. And it's a sign perhaps of what's still to come in this campaign. Donald Trump has yet to comment on the guilty verdict of Hunter Biden, David.
MUIR: Rachel Scott at The White House. Rachel, thank you.
CBS EVENING NEWS:
CBS EVENING NEWS
6/11/24
6:30 PM
NORAH O’DONNELL: Tonight, the president changing his schedule before heading overseas and going to Delaware to see Hunter Biden just hours after his son is convicted. Good evening. I'm Norah O'Donnell. Thank you for being with us. That moment of embrace, captured on camera on the National Guard airport now named after the president's late son, Beau, who died of cancer in 2015. This trial publicly aired some of the First Family's most painful moments, with just five months until the presidential election. The president says he will not pardon his son, as Hunter faces up to 25 years in prison. And it all started with this “X” on a federal firearms application in 2018. Hunter Biden claimed he was not an unlawful user of, or addicted to illegal drugs. The jury decided that was a lie. CBS's Weijia Jiang is in Wilmington and she is going to start us off tonight.
WEIJIA JIANG: Hunter Biden left court today holding hands with his wife, and the First Lady, Dr. Jill Biden, just after hearing the verdict. He stood in court, stared straight ahead, showing little emotion. After deliberating for just under three hours over two days, the jury found him guilty of three felony counts for illegally possessing a gun while he was addicted to crack cocaine and for making false statements about using drugs when he bought the firearm in October 2018. We spoke to Juror Number 10, who asked not to be identified.
When you first got the case, how split was the jury?
JUROR #10: We took a vote, and the vote revealed it was 6-6, it was a split decision.
JIANG: He told us after combing through all the evidence, the jury was quick to make a decision.
JUROR #10: The biggest thing he did was lied about not being a drug addict, not using cocaine and buying a gun.
JIANG: Several women in Hunter Biden's life took the stand during the week-long trial, which exposed the depths of Hunter Biden's drug addiction. Including his former lover, Hallie Biden, the widow of his brother, Beau, who said she found the gun in Hunter's truck near drug residue. Surveillance video showed her throwing it away in dumpster. But legal experts say the most damaging testimony was Hunter Biden's own words from his memoir, "Beautiful things."
HUNTER BIDEN: All my energy revolved around smoking drugs and making arrangements to buy drugs, feeding the beast.
JIANG: Special counsel David Weiss, who oversaw the investigation into Hunter Biden, said no one is above the law.
DAVID WEISS: Ultimately, this case was not just about addiction. This case was about the illegal choices Defendant made while in the throes of addiction.
JIANG: President Biden, who after the verdict changed his schedule so he could rush to Hunter's side in Delaware, said in a statement, "I am the president, but I am also a dad. Jill and I love our son, and we are so proud of the man he is today." Although Hunter Biden faces up to 25 years in prison, that is unlikely for a first-time offender. The judge did not set a date for the sentencing, but said it's usually about four months from the verdict, putting it just weeks from the November election. President Biden has said he will not pardon his son. Norah.
O’DONNELL: Weijia Jiang, thank you.
NBC NIGHTLY NEWS:
NBC NIGHTLY NEWS
6/11/24
6:31 PM
LESTER HOLT: Good evening and welcome. Tonight, justice is once more taking presidential history into new waters. The first child of a sitting U.S. Ppresident has been convicted of a crime. A jury in Delaware finding presidential son Hunter Biden guilty of three federal counts related to his purchase of a gun during a period he was using drugs. Hunter Biden's addiction struggles are well-known, but special prosecutor David Weiss rejecting the idea that the case was just about addiction, saying the case was really about the illegal choices Hunter Biden made. After releasing a statement in which he once more vowed to accept the verdict, President Biden flying to Delaware where he was greeted by his son Hunter on the tarmac. Ryan Nobles is in Delaware tonight with the latest.
RYAN NOBLES: Tonight, President Biden arriving in Delaware, hugging his son on the tarmac after Hunter Biden became the first child of a sitting president found guilty in a criminal trial.
DAVID WEISS: No one in this country is above the law.
NOBLES: It took just three hours of deliberations for 12 jurors to unanimously determine that Hunter Biden was guilty of three felony counts for lying about his drug use on a federal background check in order to buy a gun. Special counsel David Weiss, who oversaw the prosecution, saying this was not a case about Hunter's struggles with crack, but his decision to break the law.
WEISS: His choice to lie on a government form when he bought a gun and the choice to then possess that gun. It was these choices and the combination of guns and drugs that made his conduct dangerous.
NOBLES: Inside the courtroom, the president's 54-year-old son did not react as the verdict was read. He left the courthouse holding the hand of the First Lady, later releasing a statement saying "I am more grateful today for the love and support I experienced this last week from Melissa, my family, my friends, and my community than I am disappointed by the outcome." The verdict comes after four days of damning testimony from people who are or were once close to Hunter Biden. Many testifying about his drug use around the time he filled out the background check, saying he was not a drug user. Zoey Kasten, his ex-girlfriend, testifying she witnessed Hunter smoking crack every 20 minutes or so. The prosecution also using clips from Hunter's own book.
HUNTER BIDEN: I had no plans beyond the moment-to-moment demands of the crack pipe
NOBLES: The defense had argued Hunter Biden did not knowingly lie on the form. Tonight we spoke to Juror Number 10, who asked that we conceal his identity.
NOBLES: But you felt you and your jurors separating the politics from the case was not --
JUROR #10: Absolutely, yes. This is for us, it was not politically motivated. Politics never played in anything that we said in the jury room.
NOBLES: President Biden, who said he would not pardon his son, writing "Jill and I love our son, and we are so proud of the man he is today. Jill and I will always be there for Hunter and the rest of our family, with our love and support. Nothing will ever change that."
HOLT: So Ryan, what now? What happens next for the Hunter Biden case?
NOBLES: Well, Hunter Biden's defense team has said that they will appeal this case. Right now he is facing a maximum of ten years in prison if the sentences are handed down concurrently. At this point, the judge has not set a sentencing date. Lester?
HOLT: All right, Ryan nobles, Thanks. For more on the verdict we're joined by senior legal correspondent Laura Jarrett. Laura, what’s the most likely sentence we could see in this case?
LAURA JARRETT: Well, Lester, the sentencing is still roughly four months off at this point, so both sides will have a chance to present their arguments. But realistically, the judge is likely to give him a sentence significantly shorter than that maximum Ryan outlined because he is a first-time offender with no criminal history, Lester.
HOLT: And he faces another trial as well?
JARRETT: He does. And that one is set to start in September. He’s pleaded not guilty to charges of tax evasion in California where prosecutors say he failed to pay taxes on millions in foreign income, instead spending that money on drugs, hotels, cars. Now his attorneys argue he ultimately repaid those taxes, but if convicted there, he faces even more time, up to 17 years in prison. And in that case, because of his conviction today, he would have a criminal history that that judge must consider, Lester.
HOLT: All right, Laura. Thanks very much.
6:36 PM
HOLT: This verdict, of course, coming against the backdrop of the 2024 presidential race. Hallie Jackson is with us now. Hallie, how does this potentially impact the campaign?
HALLIE JACKSON: Well, Lester, for the president it is deeply personal. And look at the timing here. Key moments like his son's sentencing, like the next trial, are likely to collide with the heart of the fall election season. That said, the guilty verdict may also undercut one of the attack lines former President Trump has used, his claims the justice system is weaponized against him, considering the guilty verdict for the president's own son. Hunter Biden's conviction may complicate some Democrats push to hammer Mr. Trump as a convicted felon, but Hunter Biden, of course, is not on the ballot. The Trump campaign calling this trial in their words, “a distraction” from what they allege are other Biden family crimes, despite a GOP-led investigation turning up no evidence of that. And keep in mind that while this moment is historic, polls consistently show voters say they care far more about the economy and immigration. Lester?
HOLT: Hallie Jackson, thank you.
