The New York Post was out today with a hot scoop on a “smoking-gun email” purportedly recovered from Hunter Biden’s seized laptop. The email suggests that Hunter Biden introduced a top Burisma exec to his father, then-VP Joe Biden, in 2015.
#NEW #NYPost reports Smoking-gun email reveals how #HunterBiden introduced Ukrainian businessman to VP dad #JoeBiden https://t.co/9FFokWOenF via @nypost
— Kevin Corke (@kevincorke) October 14, 2020
From @nypost: 'Smoking-gun email reveals how Hunter Biden introduced Ukrainian businessman to VP dad.' https://t.co/9fz2hUqPJL pic.twitter.com/lZWF3WEtQb
— Byron York (@ByronYork) October 14, 2020
At the very least — the very least — the optics of this aren’t great. So, what’s a brave firefighter to do?
Well, for what it’s worth, here’s how Politico Congress reporter Kyle Cheney is handling it:
The 'smoking gun' email in the NY Post story — even if it is authentic, given the massive red flags — doesn't actually say what the story says it does.
Also, recall: https://t.co/qPVwoX4g1f
— Kyle Cheney (@kyledcheney) October 14, 2020
Lastly, if such a meeting occurred, it should be pretty easy to pinpoint with accuracy when and where, which would seem an important part of reporting a story like this before blasting out the innuendo — especially given the suspect actors involved.
— Kyle Cheney (@kyledcheney) October 14, 2020
Important addendum: Nothing about the premise of the story adds up. Every credible source has testified that the prosecutor involved was fired because he was *not* investigating corruption and removing him made it likelier Burisma would face a real probe.https://t.co/pl9YDoFvfa
— Kyle Cheney (@kyledcheney) October 14, 2020
Shorter Kyle: “Lemme adjust my blindfold … OK, nothing to see here, dammit!”
If Kyle admits that this doesn’t look good, then he’s effectively admitting that the Bidens may not be as squeaky-clean as he wants them to be … and that violates the code of liberal journalistic ethics.
And we can’t have that!
— Physics Geek (@physicsgeek) October 14, 2020
Kyle seems very emotionally invested in Joe Biden’s image. Weird.
Congratulations, Kyle.
Great hire by team Biden https://t.co/tnNi2Kge6g
— Reagan Battalion (@ReaganBattalion) October 14, 2020
Did the Biden campaign hire you or are you doing this work for free?
The correct journalistic response would be to investigate and ask whether such a meeting took place, not to invent hypotheticals excusing the potentially bad story for a political candidate. https://t.co/NMgF5caN9q
— (((AG))) (@AGHamilton29) October 14, 2020
It's perfectly possible that this story falls apart or that Hunter Biden would try to leverage his father without Joe Biden's consent, but you need to actually ask the question before just dismissing it when stuff like this comes out.
— (((AG))) (@AGHamilton29) October 14, 2020
and I say that as someone who has previously emphasized that the evidence thus far suggests the firing of Shokin was completely legitimate and the evidence of Joe Biden doing something wrong in Ukraine rather limited to this point.
— (((AG))) (@AGHamilton29) October 14, 2020
I'd like to actually thank Kyle for this tweet.
Because it shows exactly how the DC media bubble proactively does damage control for Democrats. This is exactly the problem.
Before, you know, asking the campaign, they come up with excuses for not bothering. https://t.co/Gzgs1DQz09
— RBe (@RBPundit) October 14, 2020
It's amazing how fast the press transforms into the Biden Rapid Response Team the moment a damaging story on him comes out. Instead of spinning for Joe, how about doing your job as a journalist & demanding he answers some on the record questions & let voters judge for themselves? https://t.co/iXNxw4WSfO
— Andrew Surabian (@Surabees) October 14, 2020
***
Update:
It’s the charge of the Kyle Brigade!
No one should link to or share that NY Post 'report'. You can discuss the obvious flaws and unanswerable questions in the report without amplifying what appears to be disinformation.
— Kyle Griffin (@kylegriffin1) October 14, 2020
Adorable.
Most of these people are just Biden bodymen, nothing more. https://t.co/NJVeLevPa5
— David Harsanyi (@davidharsanyi) October 14, 2020