After repeatedly peddling what they admitted was baseless “speculation” to defend Joe Biden from the apparent evidence of his corruption, CBS and NBC had their claim of “Russian disinformation” blown up by the Department of Justice and the FBI on Tuesday. Both law enforcement groups concurred with Director of National Intelligence John Ratcliffe that there was no evidence Russia was behind the Biden scandal.
Late last week, the CBS Evening News had given up trying to downplay the scandal and took on a more proactive role to protect their 2020 candidate. “It's a story raising concerns about whether it's real or just designed to sow confusion in the final weeks of the election,” claimed anchor Norah O’Donnell.
“Experts say it has all the hallmarks of information laundering and all the headaches of 2016,” proclaimed chief congressional correspondent Nancy Cordes without evidence. And NBC’s Today co-host Hoda Kotb echoed the sentiment, suggesting: “[T]here are new questions about an unverified report targeting Joe Biden’s son and new reporting about possible ties to a Russian disinformation effort aimed at influencing the U.S. election.”
But on Tuesday night’s Special Report, Fox News senior political correspondent Mike Emanuel could confirm “the FBI and DOJ concur with DNI John Ratcliffe's assessment that Hunter Biden's laptop and emails were not part of a Russian disinformation campaign.”
Emanuel also reiterated his previous report detailing how a source on an e-mail chain with Hunter discussing alleged Chinese money (and set aside for his father) was authentic:
President Trump accusing Joe Biden of staying away from reporters ahead of Thursday night’s debate to avoid answering questions about his son Hunter's purported laptop and emails. The President also jumped on this May 2017 email with Chinese energy executives, verified by a source on the email chain, which discusses payment for six people.
It includes a reference to 10 percent of the equity in the deal being “held by H,” assumed to be Hunter, “for the big guy,” which sources say is Joe Biden.
In wrapping his report, Emanuel noted the FBI had hoped to stay out of the 2020 election given what happened in 2016. “But tonight,” he said, “some breaking news, we are told by a senior federal official that the FBI is in possession of a laptop and that the FBI and DOJ concur with the director of national intelligence that this is not part of a Russian disinformation campaign.”
As further evidence for the validity of the evidence found on Hunter’s computer, Emanuel recalled the comments of investigative journalist and co-founder of The Intercept, Glenn Greenwald, who pointed out how the Biden team have not addressed the accusations. And on Monday’s Tucker Carlson Tonight, Greenwald had called out the press for being complicit in the cover-up on behalf of Biden.
Now, given this new confirmation from the DOJ and FBI, CBS and NBC have seemingly given up trying to be proactive in their defense of Biden. Instead of covering this story, the CBS Evening News reported on a woman sewing clothes out of an old food cart, while NBC Nightly News stoked panic by telling people what to stock up on to survive the coronavirus winter. And, as for ABC, they continued their complete blackout of the story.
The transcript is below, click "expand" to read:
Fox News Channel’s Special Report
October 20, 2020
6:07:50 p.m. EasternBRET BAIER: Also breaking tonight, the third story in a row, there are new developments in the Hunter Biden email story. Here's a senior political correspondent Mike Emanuel in Washington. Good evening Mike.
MIKE EMANUEL: Good evening. One senior federal official tells Fox News the FBI and DOJ concur with DNI John Ratcliffe's assessment that Hunter Biden's laptop and emails were not part of a Russian disinformation campaign. And the senior federal official says the FBI is in possession of the Hunter Biden laptop in question. That, breaking moments ago.
Also late today, a new photo has emerged in The New York Post showing former Vice President Joe Biden's son Hunter and purported Kazakh officials. It is undated. We’re checking with our sources to get as much information as we can about it, and in proper context as we are with all the new revelations in this Hunter Biden story.
[Cuts to video]
Big tech about to be under the spotlight, negotiations continue with the Senate Judiciary, which is threatening subpoenas for the CEOs of Facebook and Twitter on Thursday.
SEN. JOSH HAWLEY (R-MO): We should have no more foot-dragging. We should have proactive action here to address the concentration, to address the power, to address the censorship.
EMANUEL: Some Republicans charging censorship, even election interference as the social media platforms blocked distribution of the initial Hunter Biden email story.
PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: You look at all the corruption in his family. It’s tremendous corruption, nobody’s ever seen. I mean, that laptop, nobody’s ever seen anything like that. He’s gone into hiding.
EMANUEL: President Trump accusing Joe Biden of staying away from reporters ahead of Thursday night’s debate to avoid answering questions about his son Hunter's purported laptop and emails. The President also jumped on this May 2017 email with Chinese energy executives, verified by a source on the email chain, which discusses payment for six people.
It includes a reference to 10 percent of the equity in the deal being “held by H,” assumed to be Hunter, “for the big guy,” which sources say is Joe Biden.
TRUMP: The Vice President got a kick back and everybody knows it and they've known it for a long time.
EMANUEL: Fox News has obtained images, including what appears to be a receipt from the Wilmington, Delaware, computer repair shop signed by Hunter Biden. It also listed an email and cell phone number for him; and documentation from the FBI’s interaction with shop owner John Paul MacIsaac. It shows the bureau took possession of an alleged Hunter Biden laptop and external hard drive last December.
Senate Homeland Security Chairman Ron Johnson wants answers about the FBI's actions since then.
SEN. RON JOHNSON (R-WI): The FBI owes us a defensive briefing. If this shop owner is fraudulently peddling information to the Congress, that's a crime. The FBI ought to brief us on that as well.
EMANUEL: Investigative journalist Glenn Greenwald notes the Bidens campaign’s silence on the authenticity of what's been reported to.
GLENN GREENWALD: No one in the Biden camp, not Hunter Biden, not Joe Biden, not anyone in the Biden campaign has even insinuated let alone stated that the emails are anything other than authentic.
[Cuts back to live]
EMANUEL: The FBI has made every effort to stay out of the 2020 election after it was front and center with 2016, with Hillary Clinton’s emails and her private server. But tonight, some breaking news, we are told by a senior federal official that the FBI is in possession of a laptop and that the FBI and DOJ concur with the director of national intelligence that this is not part of a Russian disinformation campaign. Bret.
BAIER: Well, that's significant, Mike. We'll stay on that.
