Tipsheet

Margaret Brennan's Advice to Republicans on Hunter Biden Is Really Something

Rebecca Downs
Rebecca Downs  |  July 24, 2023 1:30 PM

CBS News' "Face the Nation" host Margaret Brennan offered a word of advice for Republican lawmakers on Sunday to "move on" from investigations into Hunter Biden during an interview with former Gov. Chris Christie (R-NJ), who is currently running in the Republican presidential primary. In offering such advice, though, Brennan reminded her viewers of just how biased the media is on the matter, as if we needed any more reminding. 

"I wonder after this plea happens, if you would advise your party to move on," Brennan asked Christie, speaking of a plea deal Hunter Biden was granted. In pointing out that "the deal has infuriated many congressional Republicans who are holding their own hearings," Brennan conveniently neglected to point out that Hunter is able to avoid jail time with such a plea deal. 

Christie was firm in offering from the start that he "wouldn't" advise the Republican Party to "move on." In explaining why, he pointed out that "the conduct here by the US Attorney in Delaware, and by the Justice Department is- just can't be justified," especially because the investigation took five years to get to this point. As Brennan had acknowledged in asking Christie the question, he was once a U.S. attorney. Christie himself touted that he "was the U.S. Attorney in the fifth largest office in the country for seven years during the Bush administration."

Speaking more of how long the investigation took, Christie explained that "it does not take five years to investigate two misdemeanor tax counts and to dismiss a gun charge. And we need to know what they were investigating. And why these are the charges they concluded to."

Christie also brought up particularly noteworthy points about the gun charge. "I mean, this is a case where Democrats yell and scream for more new gun laws in the country. Yet, you hear no Democrat yelling about the fact that Hunter Biden intentionally lied on his gun permit application, mishandled the gun after he received it with a false permit application and faces absolutely no penalty," he explained. "Guess what? The guy who sponsored that law was his father, Senator Joe Biden."

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Not only is Hunter Biden looking at no jail time, but, as Christie pointed out, "that [gun] charge carries a 10-year sentence."

"We need to explain- they need to explain to the public why that was done. So no, I don't think it's time to move on," he concluded his answer with.

Christie had just thrown quite a lot of information at Brennan to counter her narrative. All she could do in response, though, was to parrot the talking point that the U.S. Attorney in question, David Weiss, "was appointed by former President Trump."

Fortunately, Christie quickly jumped in to emphasize how "incompetent" Weiss is. "It doesn't matter whether it--Margaret. It doesn't matter whether you're appointed by a Republican or a Democrat. If your work appears to be incompetent, and inexplicable, you need to explain it so we can have confidence in our justice system. And I don't care whether Mr. Weiss is a Republican or a Democrat, he owes the American people an explanation."

Weiss does not merely owe the American people an explanation when it comes to the timing of the investigation, though he does, or why it is that Hunter Biden is able to avoid jail time, though he does on that too. Christie had referenced not just Weiss, but how the Department of Justice (DOJ) has a lot of explaining to do as well. 

Weiss and Attorney General Merrick Garland have caused considerable confusion when it comes to Weiss' charging of Hunter Biden, specifically whether or not he had the authority to charge him in for crimes in California and in Washington, D.C. 

According to IRS Whistleblower Gary Shapley, Weiss did not actually have the full authority to bring charges and that he told six witnesses he did not. Garland had indicated last month that Weiss did have such authority, however. In his June 30 letter to House Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan (R-OH)--on the evening of the Friday before the 4th of July holiday--Weiss explained that he would have to "request Special Attorney status." In a July 10 letter to Senate Judiciary Committee Ranking Member Lindsey Graham (R-SC), Weiss, in an attempt "[t]o clarify an apparent misperception and to avoid future confusion," danced around the issue further. While the June 30 letter mentioned "Special Attorney status," the July 10 letter mentions the "Special Counsel designation."

Weiss' authority came up again during last week's House Oversight Committee hearing where Shapling and another whistleblower, Joseph Ziegler, testified. Such issues about Weiss' authority were brought up in opening statements. 

If Republicans wish to keep to their campaign promises that got them elected, they won't back down from such investigations just because the media would suggest as much.