Tipsheet

Biden Calls a Press Lid Following Report That He Lied About Ties to Ukraine Energy Firm

Biden is back to avoiding the press amid a stunning Wednesday morning report that indicates he met with an executive from Ukraine energy firm Burisma Holdings in 2015, despite repeatedly saying he had no connection to them. 

As Matt already reported, the new bombshell revelation from the New York Post strongly signals that Biden has been less than truthful about his connection to Burisma and his son Hunter's questionable employment, for which he was not qualified. A leaked email shows that an executive from the company, in fact, did meet with Vice President Biden in 2015. 

The Biden campaign has now called a "lid," just 20 days before Election Day meaning that he will not be making any more public appearances for the remainder of the day. This had become common practice for the Democratic nominee for president, raising questions among his critics about his health and cognitive ability to keep up with a grueling schedule. 

Over the last two days, the gaffe-prone Biden has made several significant speaking errors, including not being able to recall Sen. Mitt Romney's name, forgetting which state he was in, and telling reporters Supreme Court nominee Amy Coney Barrett had vowed to abolish Obamacare, which she has not. 

Biden has also been notoriously evasive and temperamental when asked about his son Hunter's ties to Ukraine and Burisma, as well as an alleged $3.5 million payment to Hunter from the mayor of Moscow's wife. 

Biden famously got into a combative back and forth with a man in Iowa last year after he asked the presidential candidate why his son Hunter was tied to Burisma and making piles of money for a job that he was in no way qualified to hold. Through name-calling and emphatic denials of any malfeasance, Biden alleged that the man was out of shape and watched too much TV, even appearing to call him fat

Although Hunter has acknowledged that he did not deserve the job at Burisma, for which he was reportedly compensated as much as $50,000 per month, and only got the position because his father was the vice president, Biden has never acknowledged any problem. 

Biden's press lid during the final stretch of his presidential campaign in a too-close-to-call race is more than a little unusual, considering how it conveniently excuses him from facing any rogue reporters throughout the day. As he has shown consistently over the past few weeks, uncomfortable questions such as "would you pack the Supreme Court?" are most unwelcome.