MRC Still Mad Hunter Biden Defends Himself (And Reporters Won’t Harass His Dad About Him)

The Media Research Center continued to be mad that Hunter Biden is defending himself in a Dec. 16 post by Tim Graham complaining that someone else praised Hunter for doing so:

When the Bidens need a really syrupy approach to its public statements, they can count on Matt “Biden Adviser” Viser to lay it on thick. After Hunter’s stunt statement before snubbing a congressional subpoena, Viser’s Thursday valentine was headlined: 

‘I am here’: Hunter Biden makes a defiant appearance

The subheadline underlined that Hunter’s stunt reflected “a desire to wrest control of his own narrative.” Viser is certainly under Hunter’s control. He wrote the speech “was by turns emotional, plaintive and contentious. It appeared to have two main aims: humanizing him after years of vilification, and emphasizing that his father had nothing to do with his business affairs despite the impeachment inquiry.” Nothing? Really? 

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The only feint toward an opposing viewpoint was a brief quote from Rep. James Comer: “He does not get to dictate the terms of the subpoena.” Viser let shameless Hunter Biden accuse someone else of being shameless.

The president’s son said House Republicans continue to focus on “a nonexistent bribe.” He noted that Greene displayed naked photos of him during committee hearings. “They have taken the light of my dad’s love for me and presented it as darkness,” Hunter Biden said. “They have no shame.”

At least Viser noticed that Hunter not only snubbed the committee, he snubbed reporter questions: “Hunter Biden reiterated that he was willing to answer questions anytime as long as it is in a public session — although he ignored the questions reporters shouted at him after he gave his statement.”

Jorge Bonilla, by contrast, was much happier in a Dec. 19 post when a non-right-winger criticized Hunter for speaking out:

During a panel discussion regarding the impeachment inquiry against Hunter Biden, former White House Press Secretary and current MSNBC host Jen Psaki let loose on what she (and probably her former comrades at the White House) think of Hunter’s Capitol press conference prior to blowing off his scheduled closed-door testimony: to wit, very little.

Watch as Psaki, in no uncertain terms, conveys her desire for the younger Biden to remain quiet and “go away”:

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There is so much in that clip that reveals what is wrong with the state of media today. The incestuousness, the valuation of access, and the rank partisanship. Here again, the purest, truest victim of Hunter Biden’s illegalities is the reelection prospects of his father. His loving, doting father.

If you watch closely, Psaki laid out a crisis comms strategy in real time. Muzzle Hunter (good luck), and go to “a father’s love”. Oh, and make Hunter go away.

Watch that playbook unfold over the next few weeks, as the impeachment inquiry proceeds and Hunter Biden is arraigned over his tax charges.

Bonilla, meanwhile, would love nothing more than the right-wing weaponization of government against Hunter to continue — and even, hopefully, drive Hunter to suicide as an own-the-libs moment to destroy his father.

Christian Toto spent his Dec. 23 column whining that “Saturday Night Live” won’t make fun of Hunter the way right-wingers like him would:

The First Son’s adult life could fuel a thousand sketches. Drugs. Prostitution. Tax evasion. Cocaine suddenly appeared in the White House. Dodging child support payments. The “Laptop from Hell.” Texting the n-word. His art career. 

That’s not to mention the allegations summed up by the “Biden Crime Family” moniker.

Plus, he’s constantly offering up new material. Earlier this week, Hunter Biden refused to testify behind closed doors. He could face contempt of Congress charges for his defiance.

Now, quick, name a classic “Saturday Night Live” sketch that featured Hunter Biden as the main attraction. You can’t because it’s never happened.

Pete Davidson briefly played the First Son in a sketch three years ago. The comic actor made Hunter Biden look cool, entering the courtroom on a hoverboard.

Davidson’s Hunter literally said, “[Trump] is just pointing at me to distract from his own crimes.”

That’s a talking point, not a punch line.

[…]

“Saturday Night Live,” once a bipartisan sketch series, now relentlessly promotes progressive talking points. Democrats are defended or ignored. Republicans get skewered week after week.

The show can barely mention President Biden in any of its signature sketches.

If it won’t hold the most powerful man in the world accountable with humor, there’s no chance it’ll mock a First Son with serious, and sobering, ties to his pappy.

Toto, meanwhile, doesn’t want Trump held accountable with humor — or anything else.

Graham cranked out a year-end post on Dec. 31 complaining that reporters didn’t harass President Biden about Hunter to his (and Fox News’) satisfaction:

In a year-end review, Fox News media reporter Joseph Wulfsohn underlined that 2023 was another year in which President Biden largely avoided solo press conferences (three!) and serious newsmaker interviews. He ended the year on a podcast with comedian Conan O’Brien, not with a press conference or a hard-hitting journalist one-on-one.

Biden promised he would be kinder to the press than Trump, but that has only meant he hasn’t trashed them as “fake news,” and why would he? They’re all in his corner. But he doesn’t grant access unless an interviewer demonstrates they won’t be “trouble.” Interviewers have mostly skipped asking Hunter Biden questions.

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Wulfsohn reported it’s been all puffery without scandal questions since then:

Since then, Biden granted interviews with MSNBC’s Nicolle Wallace, CNN’s Fareed Zakaria, British wellness podcast host Jay Shatt, The Weather Channel’s Stephanie Abrams, ProPublica’s John Harwood, CBS correspondent Scott Pelley on “60 Minutes,” Spanish radio host Tony Arias, CNN’s Anderson Cooper on his podcast about grief and comedian Conan O’Brien, marking his final sit-down of 2023.

All of them avoided the subject.

This should underline the suspicion that Team Biden makes it a condition of getting an interview that you don’t “get personal” and ask about Hunter or his brother Jimmy influence-peddling with our enemies. 

Graham refused to admit that Wulfsohn is a biased anti-Biden reporter — something he would not hesitate to point out if a reporters’ bias was anything but right-wing.