It’s not just the cast of ABC’s The View that makes fools of themselves on the show, sometimes it’s their guests. Such was the case on Tuesday when ABC chief Washington correspondent Jon Karl joined the cast to report the breaking news that Hunter Biden had agreed to a cushy plea deal with his father’s Justice Department. Karl clownishly claimed “there’s no evidence” to back up GOP claims about the Biden family’s corruption, but he did admit to Hunter’s dubious employment by the Ukraine energy firm, Burisma and the fact he received lavish gifts from China.
Karl’s denial of reality came in an answer to Joy Behar, who wondered: “But doesn't this show, Karl, that Biden is not in the pocket of the DOJ?”
According to Karl, “it depends” on how you look at it. He argued Democrats would say “they prosecuted anyway. His son now has a criminal record.” He began to suggest the prosecution meant there was definitively no interference by the Biden administration but caught himself and hedged his bets. “Yes, that shows – it would seem to show there was no interference,” he said.
As if killing the investigation was the only President Biden could interfere, Karl proclaimed: “He didn't pull the plug on the investigation. He didn't order his attorney general to pull the plug on the investigation.” This didn’t take into account that Hunter would be getting out of a felony gun charge with a rehab program.
For the flipside of the argument, Karl lamented (much like CNN’s Evan Perez) that Republicans were intent on uncovering the corruption of the “Biden Crime Family” and asserted “there’s no evidence” of them trading on their name:
But what Republicans will say is this didn't look at the bigger, more serious allegations about whether or not -- I mean, the Republicans have made lots of major allegations against Biden – against President Biden. They call it the Biden Crime Family. They claim they have traded off their name, that they've – that they've gotten money from foreign entities illegally. None of that's been proven. There's no evidence of that. But they're going to continue those investigations and make those allegations.
But when Behar tried to compare Hunter to former President Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, Karl said he didn’t want to compare them and admitted to Hunter receiving lavish and inexplicable gifts from China. “Hunter Biden was given, a 2.8-carat diamond from a Chinese business associate. What's it all about? We don't know,” he informed them.
Shortly before that exchange, Karl bragged about asking questions of the Obama administration in 2014 about Hunter and Burisma. He even pointed out that Hunter had no background in the energy industry but his father was Obama’s Ukraine point person:
I found it remarkable that the son of the then-vice president of the United States was getting paid $50,000 a year by the largest Ukrainian energy company. He kept getting that money all the way until 2019. And he had no apparent skills or experience on the questions of energy. And at that point, while Biden was vice president, he wasn't just vice president, he was the point person for the Obama administration on Ukraine.
A quick fact check; it’s been widely reported that Hunter was being paid $50,000 per month. It’s possible Karl just misspoke.
“So it seemed to me, which is why I asked the question in a White House briefing, that there's at the very least an appearance of a conflict of interest. Why did they hire him?” he told The View cast.
Karl’s hypocrisy didn’t stop him from decrying the “hypocrisy coming from the Republicans” and them “yelling and screaming about Hunter Biden.” “But that hypocrisy doesn't mean there isn't something fundamentally at issue here with Hunter Biden,” he reluctantly added.
Jon Karl’s flip-flopping on admitting to Hunter and the Biden family’s corruption was made possible because of lucrative sponsorships from CarShield and Consumer Cellular. Their contact information is linked.
The transcript is below, click "expand" to read:
ABC’s The View
June 20, 2023
11:18:35 a.m., Eastern(…)
JON KARL: I was concerned. 2014 – this was almost 10 years ago – I found it remarkable that the son of the then vice president of the United States was getting paid $50,000 a year by the largest Ukrainian energy company. He kept getting that money all the way until 2019. And he had no apparent skills or experience on the questions of energy. And at that point, while Biden was vice president, he wasn't just vice president, he was the point person for the Obama administration on Ukraine.
So it seemed to me, which is why I asked the question in a White House briefing, that there's at the very least an appearance of a conflict of interest. Why did they hire him?
SARA HAINES: John, Republicans have been comparing Hunter Biden's case with Trump's legal troubles suggesting a two-tier of justice. President Trump just called it a traffic ticket. Is the criticism fair?
KARL: Well, look, there are very different circumstances here, but -- On one hand -- It depends on what perspective you're looking at this. Joe Biden becomes president. He did nothing to stop this investigation. This investigation went forward.
He insisted -- he said, as recently as last month, “my son did nothing wrong.” Well, now his own Justice Department has entered into a plea agreement where his son has pled guilty to two crimes. And has been charged with a third crime, a felony. So clearly his son did something wrong, and that shows that, you know, this went forward and he did nothing to stop it.
But what Republicans will say is that it didn't look at the bigger issues.
And, look, again, we don't know because when a prosecutor looks at a case, he makes a decision about what to charge. He doesn't tell us about what he didn't charge and why he didn't. But this is going to be continued to be investigated, these issues of conflict of interest and playing off his name and the Biden family name will be investigated by Congress, by Republicans in Congress. And the issue is not going away.
JOY BEHAR: But doesn't this show, Karl, that Biden is not in the pocket of the DOJ?
KARL: Again, it depends, how do you look at it? Do you look at it and say, “look, they prosecuted anyway. His son now has a criminal record.” Yes, that shows – it would seem to show there was no interference. He didn't pull the plug on the investigation. He didn't order his attorney general to pull the plug on the investigation.
But what Republicans will say is this didn't look at the bigger, more serious allegations about whether or not -- I mean, the Republicans have made lots of major allegations against Biden – against President Biden. They call it the Biden Crime Family. They claim they have traded off their name, that they've – that they've gotten money from foreign entities illegally. None of that's been proven. There's no evidence of that. But they're going to continue those investigations and make those allegations.
BEHAR: So on a scale of one to Jared taking money from the Saudis, how does this look?
KARL: Look, I don't want to compare it with what Jared Kushner has done, but there are significant concerns about Hunter Biden's business dealings. He has -- the contract that he had with the Ukrainian energy company, also his business dealings in China.
I mean, one of the details that we reported earlier they were looking into that's just so strange, he was given – Hunter Biden was given, a 2.8 carat diamond from a Chinese business associate. What's it all about? We don't know.
Again, it's not a $2 billion deal with the Saudis. You're absolutely right. And Republicans, there's no shortage of hypocrisy coming from the Republicans, who are willing to give Donald Trump a pass on everything that's come out but are yelling and screaming about Hunter Biden. But that hypocrisy doesn't mean there isn't something fundamentally at issue here with Hunter Biden.
(…)
