With Hunter Biden being charged with multiple tax-related felonies, the cast of Friday’s PBS NewsHour wanted to emphasize what it considered the main takeaway “the indictment does not in any way implicate President Joe Biden.”
Host Geoff Bennett made the comments while addressing Washington Post associate editor and MSNBC weekend host Jonathan Capehart, “So, let's start with the latest legal trouble facing Hunter Biden, with the important context that Hunter Biden’s a private citizen. He is not seeking, nor has he ever held, public office. He does not work in the White House for his father in the way that Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump did. And the indictment does not in any way implicate President Joe Biden.”
Bennett also added, “And yet this will certainly add to the problems, the political problems, facing this White House, as House Republicans, Jonathan, zero in on Hunter Biden's business dealings as part of their own investigations.”
Capehart naturally agreed, “As part of their own investigations that have been going on for years now, and they have been using the president's son, the president's troubled son, to try to sully the president.”
As for the indictments themselves, Capehart tried to have it both ways, “Look, when you read the indictment, when you hear about the indictment, it's bad. I mean, it's not good. It's not good at all. But we're talking about someone, as you — I'm glad you put that proper context there. He's an adult. He has not held office. He's not sought office. He's not worked for his father.”
On the other hand, Capehart tried to claim there is a double standard for Hunter, just not the one that two IRS agents blew the whistle on, “The only thing is, is that he — his father is president of the United States. He's being held accountable. And I take — I agree with Abbe Lowell that, if his name — last name weren't Biden, he probably wouldn't even have these charges. They would have worked it out.”
Capehart wrapped up his thoughts by again claiming Joe Biden has nothing to do with anything, “for Republicans to try to make a connection between Hunter Biden and trying to say that, well, if you're going to go after Trump, well, why shouldn't we go after Biden, these are two completely different cases.”
Bennett then turned to New York Times columnist David Brooks and acknowledged, “the flip side of Abbe Lowell's statement that if Hunter Biden's last name wasn't Biden, there would be no charges, the flip side of that, one could argue, is that if his last name wasn't Biden, he would not have made $11 million in five years with these overseas board appointments and the whole thing.”
Brooks agreed, but still insisted nothing Hunter has done has anything to do with Joe:
Politics is now a game of narratives. And Republicans got two of their narratives totally supported this week. The first is that progressive elites have gone a little bonkers, and the testimony of those other three university presidents, I think underlined that story. And then the Hunter Biden story, I agree, there's nothing so far connecting him to Biden. But one of those stories Republicans tell is that Washington is filled with people selling influence, making zillions of dollars, and who are fundamentally corrupt, and, like, wandering around like mini Jeffrey Epsteins.
The only thing missing from Brooks’s response was all the evidence that Joe was involved in those ill-gotten gains that he said doesn’t exist.
Here is a transcript for the December 8 show:
PBS NewsHour
12/8/2023
7:40 PM ET
GEOFF BENNETT: So, let's start with the latest legal trouble facing Hunter Biden, with the important context that Hunter Biden’s a private citizen. He is not seeking, nor has he ever held, public office. He does not work in the White House for his father in the way that Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump did. And the indictment does not in any way implicate President Joe Biden.
And yet this will certainly add to the problems, the political problems, facing this White House, as House Republicans, Jonathan, zero in on Hunter Biden's business dealings as part of their own investigations.
JONATHAN CAPEHART: As part of their own investigations that have been going on for years now, and they have been using the president's son, the president's troubled son, to try to sully the president.
And, so far, they’ve come up with nothing, even though, next week, apparently, they're going to be voting on, you know, to authorize an impeachment inquiry, trying to make connections that aren't there.
Look, when you read the indictment, when you hear about the indictment, it's bad. I mean, it's not good. It's not good at all. But we're talking about someone, as you — I'm glad you put that proper context there. He's an adult. He has not held office. He's not sought office. He's not worked for his father.
The only thing is, is that he — his father is president of the United States. He's being held accountable. And I take — I agree with Abbe Lowell that, if his name — last name weren't Biden, he probably wouldn't even have these charges. They would have worked it out.
But he's facing the consequences, and he's going through the legal avenues that are afforded to him. And for Republicans to try to make a connection between Hunter Biden and trying to say that, well, if you're going to go after Trump, well, why shouldn't we go after Biden, these are two completely different cases.
BENNETT: And, David, the flip side of Abbe Lowell's statement that if Hunter Biden's last name wasn't Biden, there would be no charges, the flip side of that, one could argue, is that if his last name wasn't Biden, he would not have made $11 million in five years with these overseas board appointments and the whole thing. How do you see that?
DAVID BROOKS: I was just about to say that. You know, I agree. Republicans — politics is now a game of narratives. And Republicans got two of their narratives totally supported this week. The first is that progressive elites have gone a little bonkers, and the testimony of those other three university presidents, I think underlined that story. And then the Hunter Biden story, I agree, there's nothing so far connecting him to Biden.
But one of those stories Republicans tell is that Washington is filled with people selling influence, making zillions of dollars, and who are fundamentally corrupt, and, like, wandering around like mini Jeffrey Epsteins.
And that Hunter Biden story looks bad from that context. He made money because his name is Biden. And then he lived a lifestyle that is offensive, let's put it that way. I mean, we were talking earlier, like, somehow he withdrew $1.6 million from ATMs, according to the indictment. How do you do that?
But, basically, it underlines the story that Washington is fundamentally corrupt. And that's a story Republicans like to tell.
