CNN says Giuliani 'tried to generate media attention' with Hunter Biden laptop in 2020 as network spiked story
CNN's top brass was caught telling staff to ignore the New York Post's reporting during the 2020 election
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}CNN attempted to downplay the events that unfolded during the 2020 presidential election while reporting on new developments in the Hunter Biden scandal.
On Wednesday, CNN anchor Jake Tapper reported that the DOJ's investigation into Hunter Biden's business dealings overseas is "heating up," with the network learning about a "flurry" of witnesses who have given testimony to investigators and more are to come, according to multiple sources. The son of President Biden is reportedly being investigated over potential violation of tax and foreign lobbying laws as well as money-laundering.
HUNTER BIDEN SAGA: WASHINGTON POST AUTHENTICATES LAPTOP AFTER DISMISSING ‘FAKE’ SCANDAL IN 2020
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}However, when revisiting Hunter Biden's laptop that first surfaced in the public sphere by the New York Post, CNN correspondent Paula Reid told viewers, "During the 2020 campaign, former President Trump's attorney Rudy Giuliani tried to generate media attention for what he said was damning evidence on that laptop."
Rudy Giuliani
Despite Giuliani's efforts to publicize Hunter Biden's laptop, he apparently had no luck at CNN, whose top brass was caught spiking the brewing scandal in the final weeks of the 2020 presidential election, according to recordings released by Project Veritas in December 2020.
"Obviously, we're not going with the New York Post story right now on Hunter Biden," CNN political director David Chalian said during a conference call on Oct. 14, the same day the New York Post published its first story on Hunter Biden's emails. Chalian later insisted the report was "giving its marching orders" to the "right-wing echo chamber about what to talk about today."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"The Trump media, you know, moves immediately from — OK, well, never mind — the [Michael Flynn] unmasking was, you know, found to be completely nonsensical to the latest alleged scandal and expects everybody to just follow suit," then-CNN president Jeff Zucker told his staff on Oct. 16. "So, I don't think that we should be repeating unsubstantiated smears just because the right-wing media suggests that we should."
Former CNN president Jeff Zucker, CNN political director David Chalian and Hunter Biden. (Photos via Getty Images, CNN)
Apparently such messaging was received by CNN talent like Jake Tapper, who dismissed the allegations against Hunter Biden as "too disgusting" to repeat on-air during the 2020 election and said the "right wing is going crazy."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}CNN media correspondent Brian Stelter suggested the Hunter Biden scandal was "manufactured" and a product of pro-Trump "whataboutism."
CNN'S JOHN HARWOOD ROASTED FOR CLAIMING THERE IS ‘ZERO EVIDENCE’ TYING BIDEN TO SON'S WRONGDOINGS
"For all we know, these emails were made up, or maybe some are real and some are fakes, we don't know," Stelter told his viewers at the time. "But we do know that this is a classic example of the right-wing media machine."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}CNN media correspondent Brian Stelter. (Photo by Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images for Vanity Fair) ( Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images for Vanity Fair)
To this day, some of CNN's biggest stars continue to dismiss the Hunter Biden scandal.
CNN White House correspondent John Harwood claimed there was "zero evidence" that President Biden is connected to his son's alleged corruption.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"It seems pretty clear that Hunter Biden was trading on his father’s name to make a lot of money, he’s had a difficult life, but until someone makes a nexus between what Hunter Biden has done and official activities of Vice President Biden or President Biden, it’s a not-pretty picture, but it’s not really of much public import in terms of the policy of the United States or the administration of the government," Harwood said on Wednesday.
"There is zero evidence that Vice President Biden, or President Biden, has done anything wrong in connection with what Hunter Biden has done," Harwood added as anchor Brianna Keilar declared it was "an important distinction."
CNN White house correspondent John Harwood was mocked on Wednesday for claiming there was "zero evidence" that President Biden is connected to his son’s alleged corruption. (Getty Images)
Meanwhile, The Washington Post published a report about Hunter Biden's multimillion-dollar business deal with a Chinese energy company while also authenticating emails from his laptop after dismissing the scandal during the 2020 election.
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"Over the course of 14 months, the Chinese energy conglomerate and its executives paid $4.8 million to entities controlled by Hunter Biden and his uncle, according to government records, court documents and newly disclosed bank statements, as well as emails contained on a copy of a laptop hard drive that purportedly once belonged to Hunter Biden," the Post reported, before writing that it found no evidence that President Biden "personally benefited from or knew details about the transactions with CEFC," which all took place after he left office as vice president.
The latest reporting came days after The New York Times published its own report about the DOJ's investigation into Hunter Biden, which also confirmed his laptop.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Fox News' Brian Flood contributed to this report.