White House insists Joe was not involved in Hunter’s business as Karine Jean-Pierre is grilled
The White House did its best to deflect questions about how much Joe Biden knew about his son’s business affairs on Friday amid new evidence that the two may have been in cahoots.
Once again, officials insisted they stand by their stance that Biden was not involved in Hunter Biden’s dealings.
But when reporters repeatedly asked about a newly revealed WhatsApp message, in which Hunter said he was with his father as he pursued a Chinese contact to make a deal, officials blocked.
First came National Security Council spokesman John Kirby.
“I am not going to address this issue from this podium. I’m just not going to do it,” he said before finishing his part of the briefing.
‘Okay. Thanks guys. Nice weekend.’
White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre was bombarded with questions about what Joe Biden knew about his son’s business dealings during a stormy briefing on Friday
The president’s son mingled in black tie with guests at the White House on Thursday night as he attended a state dinner for Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi
Next in the line of fire was press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre, who said White House counsel had already dealt with the matter.
“Nothing has changed and I’ll leave it at that,” she said. “Anything else I’ll refer you to White House counsel.”
Yet much has changed in the opinion of journalists asking questions in the briefing room.
This week, details emerged from an IRS whistleblower of a WhatsApp message that Hunter apparently sent to his Chinese associate Henry Zhao in 2017.
“I am sitting here with my father and we would like to understand why the commitment has not been fulfilled,” he wrote.
“Tell the director I’d like to sort this out now before it gets out of hand, and now means tonight.”
A photo obtained by DailyMail.com shows that he was at his father’s house on the day in question, July 30, 2017.
The president’s son was staying at the guest house of Biden’s Delaware home when he wrote a letter to Communist Party official Henry Zhao on July 30, 2017, threatening him to follow his “orders”
DailyMail.com has obtained a photo of Hunter Biden outside his father Joe’s home in Delaware on the day he sent scathing texts to his Chinese business partner
The whistleblower report released by the Ways and Means Committee includes a message from Hunter Biden in which he tries to threaten a Chinese business partner by calling in his father
The result was a rare show of unity among reporters in the briefing room, as one after another found slightly different ways to ask the same question: Does the White House stand by its claims that Biden was not involved?
“I would like to refer you to my White House counsel colleagues,” she said. “They’ve picked up on this and I’m referring you to them.”
Ian Sams, senior adviser to the White House counsel’s office, said, “As we’ve said many times before, the president didn’t do business with his son.”
In fact, the previous rule was that the president had not discussed his son’s business dealings with him.
Instead, he turned questions to a statement from Hunter’s lawyer, who suggested the WhatsApp message was not what it seemed.
“Any verifiable words or actions by my client, in the midst of a terrible addiction, are his own alone and have no relation to anyone in his family,” Chris Clark said.
Biased and politically motivated selective leaks have plagued this case for years. Not only are they irresponsible, they are also illegal.
The president’s son attended the state dinner for Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday night
“A close examination of the document made public yesterday by a highly biased individual raises serious questions about whether it is what he claims it to be.”
This week it emerged that the president’s son had managed to avoid jail time after years of investigating his tax affairs and a gun license.
A court filed for the 53-year-old to agree to plead guilty to felony tax returns and participate in a pre-trial diversion program to avoid a more serious felony of possessing a firearm while a drug addict.
On Thursday, he mingled with black-tie guests at a state banquet for Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Jean-Pierre was asked if it was common practice for people to be invited to the White House so soon after a plea deal was made.
‘That’s his son. He’s a relative,’ she said.
It is not uncommon for family members to attend White House events.
“We could look at past presidents. I’m sure you did.
“So that’s not uncommon… since it pertains to all things Hunter, I’m just not going to comment on it from here.”