To paraphrase the Soup Nazi in Seinfeld: No plea deal for you! Sorry, Hunter! That was the end result of a tumultuous day in a Wilmington courtroom Wednesday where President Joe Biden’s criminal drug addict son Hunter Biden was stripped of his plea deal and forced to plead not guilty to tax fraud charges. On Wednesday evening, the big three evening news broadcasts had the sads over Hunter’s latest legal woes.
All three networks ABC’s World News Tonight, CBS Evening News, and NBC Nightly News kicked off their newscasts with the Hunter news. On ABC, justice correspondent Terry Moran fretted that “Hunter Biden came to the federal courthouse in Wilmington this morning expecting to put his legal troubles behind him, but it was a day of unexpected courtroom drama and an unforeseen twist.”
Moran even insisted on labeling Delaware U.S. Attorney David Weiss, who oversaw the Hunter Biden probe as someone “appointed by Donald Trump.” While that was technically true, Weiss was recommended by both Democrat Senators in the state. If he was a man fully committed to the rule of law, the Democrats would have bitterly opposed him.
He didn’t stop there, he even labeled the judge as well. Claiming she was “appointed by President Trump,” and complained she “peppered lawyers on both sides with questions, and repeatedly took issue with the negotiated plea deal, calling it, ‘not straightforward,’ ‘atypical.’ Saying she would not ‘rubber stamp’ it. And asking, ‘is this even constitutional?’"
Over on CBS Evening News, fill-in anchor James Brown fretted “the stunning collapse of the proposed plea agreement between Hunter Biden and the Department of Justice.”
Much like Moran on ABC, Brown kvetched about Weiss and called him a “Donald Trump-appointed U.S. Attorney” and then huffed that “Republicans blasted the original plea as a slap on the wrist and accused the Department of Justice of interfering in the investigation.”
While NBC’s Lester Holt didn’t end up labeling Weiss, he did complain that “Hunter Biden has been a frequent target of President Biden's political adversaries with many calling the Hunter plea agreement a sweetheart deal.”
This whiney coverage from the three networks was made possible by Red Lobster on ABC, Progressive on CBS, and Liberty Mutual on NBC. Their information is linked.
To read the transcripts click “expand”:
ABC’s World News Tonight
7/26/2023
6:34:02 p.m. EasternTERRY MORAN: Hunter Biden came to the federal courthouse in Wilmington this morning expecting to put his legal troubles behind him, but it was a day of unexpected courtroom drama and an unforeseen twist. For five years, David Weiss, the U.S. Attorney in Delaware, appointed by Donald Trump, had been investigating the President's son until finally, last month, the prosecutors and Hunter Biden cut a deal. Biden agreed to plead guilty to two misdemeanor tax charges for failing to file taxes in 2017 and 2018. And prosecutors agreed not to prosecute Biden for lying about his drug use when he purchased a gun in 2018, as long as Biden remained drug-free for two years. But today, inside the courtroom, a federal judge, Maryellen Noreika, it was immediately clear that this deal was in trouble. Judge Noreika, appointed by President Trump, peppered lawyers on both sides with questions, and repeatedly took issue with the negotiated plea deal, calling it, “not straightforward." "atypical." Saying she would not "rubber stamp" it. And asking, "is this even constitutional?"
CBS Evening News
7/26/2023
6:32:18 p.m. EasternJAMES BROWN: We begin tonight with the stunning collapse of the proposed plea agreement between Hunter Biden and the Department of Justice. The federal judge overseeing the case put the deal on hold after raising concerns about the scope of the agreement. Forcing the President's son to plead not guilty to two misdemeanor tax crimes. Prosecutors and defense attorneys must now get together and provide the judge with additional information prior to her deciding whether to approve. Today's court hearing follows a five-year federal investigation led by Donald Trump-appointed U.S. Attorney. Republicans blasted the original plea as a slap on the wrist and accused the Department of Justice of interfering in the investigation.
NBC Nightly News
7/26/2023
6:31:52 p.m. EasternLESTER HOLT: Tonight, a courtroom surprise for President Biden's son, Hunter, who was widely expected to walk out of a court today with most of his legal troubles behind him. Instead, the younger Biden saw his plea arrangement with the government over tax charges crumble when the judge challenged some of the terms of the deal including a constitutional question telling the two sides she cannot accept or reject the plea agreement. The upshot: instead of pleading guilty to failing to pay his taxes for two years as the arrangement called for, Hunter Biden pled not guilty to the charges. The two sides ordered to provide the court with more information. Hunter Biden has been a frequent target of President Biden's political adversaries with many calling the Hunter plea agreement a sweetheart deal.
