On Sunday evening and Monday morning, network broadcasts on NBC, ABC, and CBS celebrated Joe Biden “fighting back” against President Trump’s efforts to “weaponize” suspicious foreign business deals by the former Vice President’s son. Reporters also touted Hunter Biden’s pledge to quit the board of a Chinese-backed company as an attempt “to rob the President of a key talking point.”
Despite barely covering the highly questionable circumstances of Hunter Biden seeming to trade on his father’s position as vice president to conduct business in Ukraine and China, on Sunday’s NBC Nightly News, correspondent Kelly O’Donnell proclaimed: “After the President’s repeated taunting, tonight Joe Biden fighting back.” A soundbite followed of Biden telling reporters: “No one has asserted my son did a single thing wrong. No one has asserted that I have done anything wrong except the lying President.”
“And for the first time, Biden’s son Hunter is also speaking out, through his attorney, about his international business ties that have been weaponized by President Trump,” O’Donnell added. She explained that Hunter Biden would be “cutting ties to a Chinese investment firm.”
On ABC’s World News Tonight, correspondent Rachel Scott declared: “Tonight, after his son Hunter announced he will step down from his board position at a Chinese-backed company, former Vice President Joe Biden coming to his defense.” Though in the clip that followed, she could be seen actually challenging the Democratic candidate: “Why is he just now making the decision to step down from the board of a Chinese-backed company?”
A lengthy soundbite was featured of Joe Biden’s response, in which insisted there was no wrongdoing and hailed his son as a “man of integrity.”
On NBC’s Today show on Monday, correspondent Hallie Jackson whined: “The President, for his part, keeping up his unsubstantiated attacks on Joe Biden and his son Hunter.” She eagerly framed Hunter Biden’s decision to sever his connection to a Chinese company as a brilliant campaign strategy: “The former Vice President’s son speaking out for the first time in a new statement through his lawyer, saying despite no evidence of wrongdoing he will step down from the board of a Chinese investment company by the end of the month, a move seemingly intended to rob the President of a key talking point.”
Biden was shown angrily ranting during his Sunday press conference: “No one, no one has asserted my son did a single thing wrong, no one has asserted that I have done anything wrong except the lying President.”
In a report for the NBC morning show days earlier, Jackson cited the Bidens several times as she tried to assure viewers that the Bidens did nothing wrong.
“A lot of people will say that he was a little slow to call for the impeachment of the President,” complained fill-in co-host T.J. Holmes on ABC’s Good Morning America while referring to Biden. However, he then applauded how the former Vice President was “certainly ramping up his attacks on Trump now.” Correspondent Mary Bruce agreed as she praised Biden for supposedly setting the standard for ethics:
Yeah, T.J., the President has been relentlessly attacking the former Vice President and now it seems Joe Biden is trying to lay down some ethical markers. He announced over the weekend that if elected he says no one in his family will do business with foreign companies or governments. And he says they will not be sitting in on cabinet meetings either, that of course is a not so subtle jab at President Trump and his children.
“Of course Hunter Biden and his work in China and Ukraine has been a top attack line for President Trump against Joe Biden, even though there has been no evidence of wrongdoing by Hunter Biden,” she lamented.
Before the segment ended, substitute co-host Amy Robach jumped at the chance to promote an exclusive interview with Hunter Biden that she conducted over weekend, promising an “emotional and candid” exchange in which “no questions were off-limits.” The interview is set to air on Tuesday’s GMA.
Joining in with her NBC and ABC colleagues, on CBS This Morning, correspondent Nancy Cordes hyped: “Speaking to reporters in Iowa, former Vice President Biden praised his son’s decision, announced Sunday, ‘not to serve on boards of, or work on behalf of, foreign-owned companies,’ if his father is elected.”
Like on the other networks, a soundbite was included of Biden professing innocence: “No one in my family will have an office in the White House, will sit in on meetings as if they’re a cabinet member, will in fact have any business relationship with anyone that relates to a foreign corporation or a foreign country, period.”
“It was Hunter Biden’s work for a Ukrainian energy company that President Trump and his allies were pressuring Ukraine to investigate, even though there was no evidence of wrongdoing,” Cordes concluded.
While all three networks found time to herald Biden “fighting back,” not one them have managed to report the bombshell news that the anonymous whistleblower who sparked the impeachment inquiry against President Trump previously worked with Biden.
Help fight back against the liberal media's impeachment crusade
Here is a transcript of the October 13 report on NBC Nightly News:
6:34 PM ET
KATE SNOW: Back in this country, former Vice President Joe Biden’s son Hunter spoke out today. He’s come under fire by the President for his business ties to Ukrainian and more recently Chinese companies. Hunter Biden’s statement comes as the impeachment inquiry continues on Capitol Hill with a key witness expected this week. Kelly O’Donnell is at the White House.
KELLY O’DONNELL: After the President’s repeated taunting...
DONALD TRUMP: Whatever happened to Hunter?
O’DONNELL: ...tonight Joe Biden fighting back.
JOE BIDEN: No one has asserted my son did a single thing wrong. No one has asserted that I have done anything wrong except the lying President.
O’DONNELL: And for the first time, Biden’s son Hunter is also speaking out, through his attorney, about his international business ties that have been weaponized by President Trump. Hunter’s announcements today, an attempt to blunt those attacks. First cutting ties to a Chinese investment firm. “Hunter intends to resign from the BHR board of directors on or by October 31st.” Joe Biden pledging that unlike the Trump family...
JOE BIDEN: No one in my family will have an office in the White House.
O’DONNELL: President Trump’s pursuit of political ammunition on Joe and Hunter Biden from Ukraine triggered the impeachment inquiry.
(...)
Here is a transcript of the October 14 report from ABC’s GMA:
7:08 AM ET
(...)
T.J. HOLMES: Alright, let’s turn to Joe Biden here for a moment. A lot of people will say that he was a little slow to call for the impeachment of the President, but he’s certainly ramping up his attacks on Trump now. And this happens as his son, Biden’s son, is making a big announcement.
[ON-SCREEN HEADLINE: Hunter Biden Steps Down From Chinese Board; Pledges Not to Work With Foreign-Backed Companies If Father Elected]
MARY BRUCE: Yeah, T.J., the President has been relentlessly attacking the former Vice President and now it seems Joe Biden is trying to lay down some ethical markers. He announced over the weekend that if elected he says no one in his family will do business with foreign companies or governments. And he says they will not be sitting in on cabinet meetings either, that of course is a not so subtle jab at President Trump and his children.
And all of this, though, of course, comes as the President’s son – excuse me, the former Vice President’s son – Hunter Biden has announced that he is stepping down from the board of a Chinese-backed firm. Of course Hunter Biden and his work in China and Ukraine has been a top attack line for President Trump against Joe Biden, even though there has been no evidence of wrongdoing by Hunter Biden. T.J.?
HOLMES: Alright, Mary Bruce for us in Washington, thank you so much.
ROBIN ROBERTS: And speaking of Hunter Biden, you recently spent time with him.
ROBACH: That’s right, Robin, I spent the entire Saturday with Hunter Biden, the son of 2020 presidential candidate and former VP Joe Biden. We spoke there at his home in Los Angeles for an exclusive interview and no questions were off-limits. We talked, as you might imagine, in depth about his business dealings in Ukraine, China and his reaction to President Trump’s rally and tweets where we hear him chanting and writing, “Where is Hunter? Lock him up.” It is an emotional and candid interview and you can see our ABC News exclusive starting tomorrow, right here on GMA.
ROBERTS: So much to talk to him about.
ROBACH: Indeed.
