You’ll be absolutely not shocked to discover that none of the major three network evening newscasts found the time to report news of a non-prosecution, to wit: the non-prosecution of President Joe Biden or any of his staff in the classified documents case under investigation by Special Counsel Robert Hur.
None of the ABC, CBS, or NBC bothered to update their viewers on the outcome of a case wherein classified documents, going back decades, were found improperly stored in a number of venues, including a box in a garage next to Biden's vintage 'Vette, and an office to which CCP-adjacent individuals most likely had access.
At this point, it's almost a joke to compare this non-coverage to the breathless coverage of anything involving President Donald Trump. But there can be no dispute that there is a clear difference- one of orders of magnitude. In this case, the mere appearance of a double standard is enough to put a lid on the story and keep it off the airwaves- at least until it can be sandwiched buried within a Trump-adverse story, or perhaps dumped during the holiday weekend.
If it weren't for double standards, there'd be no standards at all.
Click “expand” to view the full transcript of the aforementioned report as aired on Fox News’ Special Report with Bret Baier, on Thursday, November 16th, 2023:
BRET BAIER: Breaking tonight, President Biden and his staff will not face legal charges for mishandling classified documents. Learning that today. Fox News chief legal correspondent, anchor of "Fox News Sunday" Shannon Bream joins us with an explanation. Good evening, Shannon. What do we know about the likelihood the president will not actually face any legal liability over those documents found in his office in D.C. and his home in Delaware?
SHANNON BREAM: Yeah, so, Bret, while there are reports that the president isn't expected to face charges in connection with those documents, a spokesman for Special Counsel Robert Hur, appointed by Attorney General Merrick Garland to look into this whole thing, tells Fox quote, “the investigation is ongoing”. So, no official source now willing to go on record to match those reports, but here's what we do know.
Hur was appointed back in January after these documents turned up in that office, the garage of the president's home in Delaware in late 2022; and reportedly has talked to roughly 100 different people who may have knowledge of those documents. That allegedly includes Hunter Biden, and now-Secretary of State Antony Blinken who back then was working as an aide to president Biden when he was a senator, when he was vice president, and that's when these documents date back to.
The president took a lot of criticism for the way these were handled, especially amid reports that some of them were simply stored in his unsecured garage by his personal vehicles in Delaware. The Wall Street Journal is reporting that Hur is likely to have a detailed report within the next couple of months. Maybe by the end of the year, and that it will be, quote, “sharply critical of how the president and long time aides handle the classified documents”. The White House's counsel's office is declining comment for now.
Now Bret, I would expect we are going to hear from the former president, if it turns out the current president isn't charged. They’re going to- he and his allies, they are going to talk about double standards. But remember, there are differences in this case. In both of them. The National Archives went back and forth with President Trump for more than a year. There was an FBI warrant to get those documents. And, remember the case of Vice President Pence as well. He worked with the National Archives, with the government when his legal team found documents that were classified and improperly stored. Went through that process. He is not charged. But remember, Jack Smith, who is the special counsel, looking into those documents at Mar-a-Lago, he’s made allegations that the former president actually tried to keep those documents from coming forward, having employees and legal team employees, potentially, the allegation is, block those documents. So, that trial is set for May of next year. We'll stand by. Bret?
BAIER: OK, Shannon, Thank you.
