ABC Complains Docs Probe “Interrupts Biden’s Good Run”

Friday morning’s broadcast network news shows spanned the spectrum of effectiveness on the growing scandal with classified documents having been found in possession of President Biden’s (faux) think tank office and his Wilmington, Delaware home. ABC’s Good Morning America played the role of liberal spin artists, NBC’s Today To bore you to death, and CBS Mornings continued the network’s crusade against the pathetic lack of transparency from Team Biden.

Pierre Thomas, ABC’s chief Justice correspondent, blasted the supposed independence Attorney General Merrick Garland in the first segment. “The AG has always maintained he would run the Justice Department independently. Now, in a dramatic step, he’s made the most independent move he could possibly make: He’s authorized a serious investigation into his boss, the President of the United States.”

“This morning, President Biden’s handling of classified documents, the subject of a full-scale criminal investigation, by his own Justice Department,” he added, concurring with Garland’s use of the word “extraordinary” to describe what’s unfolded.

Thomas did not mention, when he presented the timeline of how the documents were found, that the public was kept unawares until Monday.

After he played sound of Biden being questioned by Fox’s Peter Doocy as proof of the President being “on defense,” Thomas boasted about how “Biden’s supporters were also quick to point out” The Mar-a-Lago lawsuit against Donald Trump is even more serious.

Mary Bruce, White House senior correspondent, would do the exact same thing. However George Stephanopoulos (ex-Clinton official) lamented that it was a scandal. “interrupts what had been a good run for the White House.”

Bruce agreed, fretting “this is now dominating everything here with this administration” as it’s so “political explosive” They have to be “very careful and cautious.”

Bruce then decided that he would downplay the Biden documents. Click “expand”):

THOMAS “the mistake.” Biden’s supporters also pointed out that the special counsel’s investigation into Donald Trump’s mishandling documents was dramatically different. According to them, Trump took hundreds of documents and tried to recover them. Biden’s team quickly reached out to the proper officials when they discovered that he had classified documents. President Biden, his aides, and others are now in danger of being subpoenaed, grand juries, and even the possibility that the special counsel could want to question George.

(….)

BRUCE The White House is in an extremely awkward situation, with two special counsels at its center, the former President and current President, as well as the fact that they could very well be fighting each other in the next Presidential race, George.

Bruce offered mild criticism that the White House hasn’t had “a clear explanation” for the months-long delay in disclosing this and that she’s “pressed the White House repeatedly on this” Although it is debatable, she ended her speech with more White House compliments. “they insist they are doing this by the book.”

Even though NBC’s Today Started with the Biden documents. Hoda Khotb, the co-host teased it. “a big move in Washington,” They left much to be desired. 

“The President now facing a special counsel investigation over his handling of classified documents. That decision coming amid new revelations about the discovery of additional materials…at the President’s home in Delaware,” Savannah Guthrie was announced as co-host.

Peter Alexander, the Chief White House correspondent, said Garland “did just” What “Republicans this week have been pressuring” He should do it by appointing a Special Counsel.

“White House saying that it is confident a thorough review will show these documents were inadvertently misplaced. This morning, President Biden’s handling of classified documents is under scrutiny after Merrick Garland announced he appointed a special counsel to investigate,” He concluded.

Alexander, however, acknowledged that it was more difficult than Thomas. “two months” For “the first batch of documents” To “[become] public following media reports.” Naturally, he made a snide comment about Trump. “there’s no evidence any of” His documents “had been properly declassified.”

Guthrie, Washington chief correspondent Hallie Johnson had then an analysis that can best be described by saying the obvious (click “expand”):

JACKSON – In the legal case Savannah will be focusing on intent. According to the legal experts I spoke with, that is the most important aspect. This is the point that President’s lawyers are trying to stress, that it wasn’t an accident. It was an accident. These statements keep mentioning the word “inadvertent”. They’re also emphasizing that they immediately reported it and cooperated with investigators. It seems that this is a clear signal for those investigating the matter that they didn’t intend to do any wrong. That’s crucial.

GUTHRIE: Let’s talk about the politics because, needless to say, former President Trump —

JACKSON: Right.

GUTHRIE: — faces his own special counsel investigation with regard to the classified documents that were discovered at Mar-a-Lago. And there’s a lot of whataboutism, equivalencies being set up between these two cases and it’s a classic where-you-stand-depends-on-where-you-sit moment in Washington. How does this play out?

JACKSON: On Capitol Hill, consider it from Savannah’s perspective. They want investigations and a damage assessment to determine what happened. I think they will try to use this to counter criticism of Trump as we move into 2024. On the Democratic side, I’m already hearing this from members of Democratic leadership, that one of these things is not exactly like the other — right — that there are key distinctions when it comes to things like what we know right now, volume, for example, questions about cooperation, et cetera. This is something Democrats emphasize and will continue to do so for as long as the special counsel investigation continues.

CBS Mornings It was not a pedantic show. Co-host Vladimir Duthiers opened CBS’s coverage by calling “the discovery of those additional documents marked classified…more trouble for the President in a case that could get worse in the days ahead.” Duthiers reminded viewers by reminding AdrianaDiaz, a correspondent. “broke this original story,” Which “has become the story of this short year.”

Diaz called the subsequent findings at Biden’s home “stunning” And was the only reporter to directly cite Republican reaction with two soundbites from Kevin McCarthy (R–CA).

For their second segment, co-host and Democratic donor Gayle King played a portion of senior White House correspondent Ed O’Keefe’s An epic battle Thursday with White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre on why the administration didn’t publicize the document revelations when they were unearthed.

After King said she “watch[ed] from my kitchen” I saw it. “definitely frustration from the White House press corps” with Jean-Pierre, O’Keefe uncorked his disdain with the lack of public transparency as “there was nothing stopping the President…from disclosing to the public that this had happened back in November” December (click “expand”):

O’KEEFE: There’s different kinds of transparency at work here, Gayle. There’s the legal transparency that they say they are doing and — and — and, you know, working with the Archives, working with the Justice Department and going by the book. Lawyer to attorney, investigator to subject. What they’re not being is publicly transparent or straight with the American people about what happened here. The President of the United States could have disclosed to the public that these events occurred in November. There was no reason for him not to. We pointed out that it occurred just a few short days before the election. Did that explain why they didn’t disclose it? That’s one of the unanswered questions. When the second batch of drugs was discovered at his Wilmington home, there was nothing that could stop him from disclosing it. Why didn’t he decide to disclose it then? It’s another unanswered question. They have made a decision to make the White House legally transparent with the Justice Department, but not direct with the American people.

KING: And the court of public opinion, Ed, as we know, can get very loud and doesn’t go away. This is how you see it politically. I’m still so confused about how boxes marked classified leave the White House at all. 

O’KEEFE: Right.

KING: How — how do you see this playing out?

O’KEEFE: Well, there’s the ongoing Justice Department investigation that will now be led by a special prosecutor…[T]here are going to be investigations held by Republicans who now run the House of Representatives…So, there will be a legal fight for the President and there will be a political mess on Capitol Hill. There are still many unanswered question that we will continue to try to answer, including: when did he learn it?

Advertisers like Citi (on NBC). Walgreens (on ABC). Follow the links to see their contact information at the MRC’s Conservatives Fight Back page.

Click here to view the transcripts starting January 13. Here (for ABC), Here (for CBS) Here (for NBC).