On Tuesday’s broadcast of CNN’s “Inside Politics,” CNN Chief National Affairs Correspondent Jeff Zeleny stated that the gun charges Hunter Biden is facing “are minor charges, in some respect.” Host Dana Bash stated that Hunter facing charges shows President Joe Biden doesn’t control the DOJ.
Bash said, “Democrat after Democrat, when they are speaking out and speaking up against what’s going on and in favor of Hunter Biden will argue, wait a second, these charges are nothingburgers. And if somebody were named Jim Smith and not Hunter Biden on these gun charges, it wouldn’t be brought necessarily, it’s very unusual, and that it’s only being done because a plea deal fell apart and there’s political pressure on the now-special counsel running the investigation of Hunter Biden.”
Zeleny responded, “Democrats certainly say that. And there might be some truth to that, just given the nature of the charges. But the reality here is the President’s son is in this courthouse, and a lot of — it takes away some of the high ground that President Biden likes to assert in these cases, even though it’s totally different, this is not a split-screen moment of New York and Delaware. This is completely different. Hunter Biden is not a candidate for high office, and these are minor charges, in some respect. But it just makes you wonder, why wasn’t this all sort of dealt with, why didn’t he plead to something in these last several years? It is clearly a mistake. And this gets to the President, without a doubt, because Hunter is so close to him, of course. It’s all he has left of his family, basically, — the first part of his family. So, that’s why this is a big deal.”
Later, Axios Senior Contributor Margaret Talev referenced the arguments by Hunter’s lawyers and said, “There’s an irony to all of this. If these are successful arguments, it will feed the argument that Joe Biden somehow controls the justice system. The reality is that the fact that Hunter Biden is facing prosecution, totally obliterates the argument that Joe Biden controls the Deep State.”
Bash responded, “Oh, Margaret, you’re so logical.”
Follow Ian Hanchett on Twitter @IanHanchett
