On CNN's Reliable Sources, host Brian Stelter got an unwelcome surprise when his guest CNN commentator and host S.E. Cupp brought up Hunter Biden's laptop when replying to Stelter complaining that Ginni Thomas's text messages didn't get enough news coverage. Stelter was clearly thrown off guard by Cupp's mention of the laptop controversy.
After debating the controversy surrounding Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas's wife, Ginni Thomas' text messages about the 2020 presidential election, Stelter turned to Cupp: "do you see an imbalance of outrage this week on the story?" Cup argued that the outrage surrounding the text messages is warranted, but noted that people "in conservative circles have known about Virginia Lamp Thomas' political leanings for decades."
Cupp then dropped this rhetorical bomb on Stelter:
You don't have to look far to find a very similar story that was really ignored by the media and, in fact, called false over and over and over again and that's the Hunter Biden laptop story. Hunter Biden is a relative of a very famous person the way Ginni Thomas is a relative of a very powerful famous person and, you know, my Twitter feed is clogged with blue check reporters who are instantly believing that there is some tie between Ginni and Clarence. You know, the rush to dismiss Hunter as not a relevant story by lots of reporters I think is hard to ignore.
Clearly shocked that the topic he and the rest of his friends in the leftist media have been trying so hard to ignore was mentioned on his show, Stelter quickly turned to his other guest and New Yorker staff writer Jane Mayer to address the elephant in the room:
The Hunter Biden story is Hunter Biden is being investigated by the Justice Department and by the IRS as I understand it at this point and so it seems that there's no shortage of legal interest in Hunter Biden and yet we have not seen the Ginni Thomas has been called by the January 6 committee because there's been such sensitivity about not calling a Supreme Court justice's wife.
Cupp quickly followed up scoffing: "yes, but the legal interest in the Hunter Biden story would make the journalism interest, I think, even more, warranted." Stelter replied "to raise it", Cupp agreed, saying "yeah." Stelter then quickly moved on to the confirmation hearings for Judge Katanji Brown Jackson.
Stelter never even addressed the substance of the Hunter Biden laptop scandal or apologized for how wrong he was in 2020 when he called the Hunter Biden laptop a "manufactured scandal." (see video above from 2020). He also didn't want to address how his former employer, The New York Times, which he loves to praise whenever he can, essentially confirmed the story as true.
Of course, it turned out not to be a "manufactured scandal" or "Russian disinformation", anyone who was paying attention knew that all along.
This biased coverage from Stelter was made possible by Mercedes-Benz. Their information is linked so you can let them know about the kind of programming they fund.
To read the relevant transcript click "expand":
CNN’s Reliable Sources
3/27/2022
11:08:28 p.m. EasternBRIAN STELTER: S.E., do you see an imbalance of outrage this week on the story?
S.E. CUPP: Listen, the outrage is warranted. We in conservative circles have known about Virginia Lamp Thomas' political leanings for decades and the conflicts have been, you know, questioned by everyone including like Sean Hannity at one time questioned her conflict. The outrage is warranted, those texts are very troubling and we should be looking at whether Clarence Thomas knew or if that's a conflict. But, listen, you don't have to look far to find a very similar story that was really ignored by the media and, in fact, called false over and over and over again and that's the Hunter Biden laptop story. Hunter Biden is a relative of a very famous person the way Ginni Thomas is a relative of a very powerful famous person and, you know, my Twitter feed is clogged with blue check reporters who are instantly believing that there is some tie between Ginni and Clarence. You know, the rush to dismiss hunter as not a relevant story by lots of reporters I think is hard to ignore.
STELTER: I wonder, Jane, do you have a reaction to that?
STELTER: Jane, can you hear us?
JANE MAYER: You asked me? Sorry, the sound is a little bad here.
STELTER: As an investigative reporter do you look at the Hunter Biden story and say there is a lot more to dig into here?
MAYER: I mean, the Hunter Biden story is Hunter Biden is being investigated by the Justice Department and by the IRS as I understand it at this point and so it seems that there's no shortage of legal interest in Hunter Biden and yet we have not seen the Ginni Thomas has been called by the January 6th committee because there's been such sensitivity about not calling a Supreme Court justice's wife. There's talk of subpoenaing her, but I would say if anything they've been, you know, leaning over in the other direction in order not to take action on her because of the complicated issues that have to do with the three branches of government and one not want to go interfere on the other.
CUPP: Yes, but the legal interest in the Hunter Biden story would make the journalism interest, I think, even more, warranted.
STELTER: To raise it.
CUPP: Yeah.
