Hunter Biden got a cushy plea deal from his father’s Justice Department on Tuesday, including the possible drop of a felony gun charge no average America would be afforded. Despite securing the sweetheart deal, one of the immediate reactions from CNN News Central was to whine that congressional Republicans were “not going to let this go” as their investigations into possible corruption from the Biden family and interference in the DOJ’s investigation reported by whistleblowers heated up.
“The political dynamics of this … cannot be understated,” senior Justice correspondent Evan Perez said. He went on to warn that “The Republicans are not going to let this go” as they investigate “what they believe are still some unanswered questions about those financial dealings that Hunter Biden had, other members of the family had overseas, but also just how the Justice Department handled this investigation.”
After giving a crash-course history of the investigation, Perez circled back around to fretting about the Republican efforts to investigate the Justice Department’s handling of the investigation and generally into the Biden family:
But as you guys know, this is probably only the beginning for House Republicans who are now going to want to see everything that the Justice Department did. One of the complaints they have, that they're looking at is whether the FBI thoroughly looked into all of those financial dealings. The things I just described. The Burisma dealings. The Chinese energy company CEFC. There’s so many things that they believed that the FBI did not do to properly investigate this, of course, that's going to be now the subject of months of investigation by House Republicans.
Of course, Perez failed to mention the whistleblower allegations claiming protocols were breached to slow walk and hamper the investigation into Hunter.
When it came to the charges themselves, CNN brought on senior legal affairs correspondent Paula Reid who framed them as a massive and unfair inconvenience for Hunter.
She noted that Hunter’s legal team held a meeting with investigators earlier this year and “made a presentation” with “arguments about why Hunter Biden should not be charged” for being late on his taxes and illegally owning a firearm. “They also argue that this gun charge was not strongly supported by the evidence. And that recent Supreme Court decisions last spring was going to make it difficult for their case to hold up in court,” she parroted, without evidence.
“Now, of course, they did not get their wish,” she lamented.
Reid concluded her comments by reassuring viewers that Hunter and his team were feeling relieved the harrowing ordeal was finally over:
Again, this is something that’s been going on for about five years now. And the fact that it has finally come to a resolution is certainly a relief, we're told to Hunter Biden to his lawyers. And they tell me that they are overall, they are pleased with this deal.
CNN’s displeasure with GOP investigations into the Bidens was made possible because of lucrative sponsorships 4imprint and PC Matic. Their contact information is linked.
The transcript is below, click "expand" to read:
CNN News Central
June 20, 2023
9:29:28 a.m. Eastern(…)
EVAN PEREZ: The political dynamics of this, as Kara pointed out as well, cannot be understated. The Republicans are not going to let this go. We know from the House that they are doing an investigation not only of what they believe are still some unanswered questions about those financial dealings that Hunter Biden had, other members of the family had overseas, but also just how the Justice Department handled this investigation.
I remember talking to you guys last year, last summer, when we expected that this investigation was going to get wrapped up. We expected that, certainly, before the campaign season, there might be some movement on sealing these charges. And, of course, that did not happen. So, now, we finally have some conclusion, at least for this part of the investigation. The criminal part of this investigation, by the Justice Department. That Hunter Biden is going to plead to these two tax charges. And, of course, you know, as far as the gun charge, if he completes all of the diversion – all of the things that he's supposed to do, that goes away.
But as you guys know, this is probably only the beginning for House Republicans who are now going to want to see everything that the Justice Department did. One of the complaints they have, that they're looking at is whether the FBI thoroughly looked into all of those financial dealings. The things I just described. The Burisma dealings. The Chinese energy company CEFC. There’s so many things that they believed that the FBI did not do to properly investigate this, of course, that's going to be now the subject of months of investigation by House Republicans.
Guys.
JOHN BERMAN: It’s a good point, Evan Perez. The end of the federal investigation, but not certainly congressional interest in this from Republican-led committees in the House.
(…)
9:32:49 a.m. Eastern
KATE BOLDUAN: Paula, on the back and forth between Hunter Biden's attorneys and the Justice Department, what are you picking up?
PAULA REID: Well, we've been following this very closely over the past year or so. Evan and our team reported last summer, that prosecutor has narrowed down the list of potential charges, looking specifically at potential tax crimes and then a possible gun charge. And CNN reported just a few months that Hunter Biden's lawyers met with the Justice Department officials in April. Among those officials, of course, the U.S. attorney who has been overseeing -- the Trump-appointed U.S. attorney, he’s been overseeing the case to make their arguments for why Hunter Biden should not be charged.
We've learned they made a presentation. And during that presentation, they made several different arguments about why Hunter Biden should not be charged including that he had already paid back the taxes including the fees and penalties. They also argue that this gun charge was not strongly supported by the evidence. And that recent Supreme Court decisions last spring was going to make it difficult for their case to hold up in court.
Now, of course, they did not get their wish. Their client, of course, is facing multiple charges here. But in recent weeks, negotiations have really ramped up. They've been back and forth between the Justice Department and defense attorneys trying to hammer out a plea deal. We're told they had a deal in place, then it fell through, then it was back in place. And now they finally come to an agreement to resolve the years' long investigation.
Again, this is something that’s been going on for about five years now. And the fact that it has finally come to resolution is certainly a relief, we're told to Hunter Biden to his lawyers. And they tell me that they are overall, they are pleased with this deal.
(…)
