During a surprisingly contentious interview with former Vice President Joe Biden conducted over weekend and aired on Monday, NBC’s Today show co-host Savannah Guthrie repeatedly pressed the 2020 Democratic presidential candidate on his son Hunter’s suspicious business dealings in Ukraine, even labeling them “sleazy.” Biden quickly snapped and lashed out amid the scrutiny.
After asking Biden a few questions about the campaign and the upcoming Democratic Iowa Caucus, Guthrie turned to the subject of impeachment and observed: “Has it occurred to you that there’s a certain irony here, that here the President is accused of and has acknowledged wanting to get information about your son Hunter and his dealings with Ukraine and this process of impeachment has ensured that everyone knows about Hunter’s dealings with Ukraine?”
Biden defensively claimed: “That’s a good thing. And no one’s found anything wrong with his dealings with Ukraine except they say it sets a bad image.” Guthrie followed up: “Well, do you agree that it sets a bad image?” Biden acknowledged: “Yeah, and my son said that.”
Apparently ignoring the Biden campaign memo demanding the press dismiss any criticism of Hunter Biden as a Republican “conspiracy theory,” Guthrie continued her line of questioning: “Do you think it was wrong for him to take that position knowing that it was really because that company wanted access to you?”
At that point, Biden completely lost it: “That’s not true. You’re saying things you do not know what you are talking about. No one’s said that. Who said that? Who said that?”
Guthrie shot back: “Well, don’t you think that it’s just one of those things where people think, well, that seems kind of sleazy. Why would he have that job if not for who his father was?”
Biden argued that his son was “a very bright guy,” prompting Guthrie to wonder: “I guess the question I’m kind of asking is, was it right?” Biden downplayed the scandal as just a matter of “appearance” and declared that his son can “speak for himself” as “a grown man.”
Earlier in the impeachment discussion, Guthrie feared it would be impossible to work with the GOP after President Trump’s expected acquittal:
The Republicans are on track to acquit the President this week. You’ve been someone who’s talked about being able to work across the aisle. Is there anything about how this impeachment trial has unfolded that has shaken your faith in your ability to work with a Mitch McConnell or Republicans?
In addition to Guthrie’s tough treatment of Biden on Monday, during an interview on Friday, ABC’s Good Morning America co-host George Stephanopoulos actually called out the former Vice President’s hypocrisy when it came to impeachment. A clip played of Biden arguing in 1998:
It would have been wrong for Richard Nixon to have been removed from office based upon a purely partisan vote. No president should be removed from office merely because one party enjoys a commanding lead in either house of Congress.
Stephanopoulos then pressed the presidential candidate: “If a partisan impeachment was wrong in 1974, wrong in 1998, why isn’t it wrong now?”
Biden pushed back: “Well, that doesn’t mean that the facts, the underlying facts, George, whether the Constitution has been violated. That’s the issue. That’s the issue. Was the Constitution violated?”
Democrats are so accustomed to getting softball treatment from the liberal media that the moment they face an even slightly challenging question, they fall apart and become overly defensive.
Here is a transcript of Guthrie’s February 3 interview with Biden:
7:11 AM ET
(...)
SAVANNAH GUTHRIE: It’s the night before Iowa. How – this is not your first rodeo. How are you feeling? How does it feel out there?
(...)
GUTHRIE: You have a bus that says this is about the soul of the nation. Do you feel like this is a race – the Democratic race is about the soul of the party and what the party stands for?
(...)
GUTHRIE: Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who of course is a Bernie Sanders supporter, says that if we were in a different country she’d be in a different party than you, that it really is a different party now. That you represent something old, they represent the future of the party.
(...)
GUTHRIE: Bernie Sanders has an overwhelming majority of the young vote, voters under 50.
BIDEN: Not under 50.
GUTHRIE: Yes, under 50.
BIDEN: I don’t believe that.
GUTHRIE: More than you.
BIDEN: I don’t believe that. I think he has a significant number of voters between the ages of 18 and 30, I think that’s true.
(...)
GUTHRIE: What is your argument to young voters who think, well, Joe Biden represents a different kind of politics that’s been done before. Pete Buttigieg says it represents an old playbook, and so, nominating you is a risky choice.
BIDEN: Well, you think nominating – if this were a third term for Barack Obama, would he say it’s a risky choice?
GUTHRIE: Is that how you see it, a third term for Barack Obama?
(...)
GUTHRIE: Let’s talk about impeachment. The Republicans are on track to acquit the President this week. You’ve been someone who’s talked about being able to work across the aisle. Is there anything about how this impeachment trial has unfolded that has shaken your faith in your ability to work with a Mitch McConnell or Republicans?
(...)
BIDEN: I think you’re going to see the world change with Trump gone.
GUTHRIE: So you think you can work with Mitch McConnell still?
(...)
GUTHRIE: Has it occurred to you that there’s a certain irony here, that here the President is accused of and has acknowledged wanting to get information about your son Hunter and his dealings with Ukraine and this process of impeachment has ensured that everyone knows about Hunter’s dealings with Ukraine?
BIDEN: That’s a good thing. And no one’s found anything wrong with his dealings with Ukraine except they say it sets a bad image.
GUTHRIE: Well, do you agree that it sets a bad image?
BIDEN: Yeah, and my son said that.
GUTHRIE: Do you think it was to wrong for him to take that position knowing that it was really because that company wanted access to you?
BIDEN: That’s not true. You’re saying things you do not know what you are talking about. No one’s said that. Who said that? Who said that?
GUTHRIE: Well, don’t you think that it’s just one of those things where people think, well, that seems kind of sleazy. Why would he have that job if not for who his father was?
BIDEN: He’s a very bright guy.
GUTHRIE: I guess the question I’m kind of asking is, was it right?
BIDEN: Appearance, it’s appearance. Yeah, well, he said he regretted having done it. Speak for himself, he’s a grown man.
GUTHRIE: Are you going to predict a win tomorrow night?
BIDEN: I don’t predict wins because I’m superstitious, but I predict we’ll do very well.
(...)
