On Wednesday, CNN’s Jake Tapper noted that Hunter Biden acknowledged this week that the Department of Justice was investigating his “tax affairs.”
Hunter Biden says the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Delaware advised his legal counsel yesterday that they are investigating his tax affairs. pic.twitter.com/rYDWCpWgka
— Jake Tapper (@jaketapper) December 9, 2020
Hunter Biden released a statement saying, “I learned yesterday for the first time that the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Delaware advised my legal counsel, also yesterday, that they are investigating my tax affairs. I take this matter very seriously but I am confident that a professional and objective review of these matters will demonstrate that I handled my affairs legally and appropriately, including with the benefit of professional tax advisors.”
Tapper, miffed that CNN had reached out to Hunter Biden’s legal team but did not receive a response, with Joe Biden’s transition team offering a press release instead, followed by tweeting: “CNN’s @evanperez was working on the story about the US Attorney investigation and reached out to Hunter’s legal team for comment Monday. They spoke on Tuesday and said they would get back to him today. They didn’t. Instead, the transition team issued a press release.”
CNN’s @evanperez was working on the story about the US Attorney investigation and reached out to Hunter’s legal team for comment Monday. They spoke on Tuesday and said they would get back to him today.
They didn’t.
Instead the transition team issued a press release. https://t.co/34WKTZXkOX
— Jake Tapper (@jaketapper) December 9, 2020
Tapper then chided the Biden transition team: “@PamelaBrownCNN was working on this with @evanperez. Note to Biden transition team: if your strategy to deal with bad news is to falsely promise a comment to journalists operating in good faith then issue a press release, you will end up getting called late in the process.”
.@PamelaBrownCNN was working on this with @evanperez.
Note to Biden transition team: if your strategy to deal with bad news is to falsely promise a comment to journalists operating in good faith then issue a press release, you will end up getting called late in the process. https://t.co/HplcU8tJ0M
— Jake Tapper (@jaketapper) December 9, 2020
Finally, Tapper tweeted, “Federal criminal investigation into Hunter Biden focuses on his business dealings in China, from @PamelaBrownCNN and @evanperez.”
Federal criminal investigation into Hunter Biden focuses on his business dealings in China, from @PamelaBrownCNN and @evanperez https://t.co/4YeDNWXgZS
— Jake Tapper (@jaketapper) December 9, 2020
Former California GOP Chairman Ron Nehring targeted the Biden transition team, pointing out, “In other words, Team Biden took the heads up from @evanperez as a signal the story was about to break, then decided to go public and pre-empt @CNN to attempt to frame the issue more favorably. Have they at least since called and said thanks for the heads-up?”
In other words, Team Biden took the heads up from @EvanPerez as a signal the story was about to break, then decided to go public and pre-empt @CNN to attempt to frame the issue more favorably. Have they at least since called and said thanks for the heads up? 🤔 https://t.co/iwxkxBo0Qs
— Ron Nehring (@RonNehring) December 9, 2020
But Lara Trump went straight for Tapper, who had insisted when she spoke with him on the October 18 edition of CNN’s “State of the Union,” “I don’t know what that means. I don’t know what that means,” after Lara Trump had stated, “You think politically correct, soft Joe Biden would have shut down travel to China, especially now, when we know it’s been very lucrative for Joe Biden and his family, China?”
Lara Trump tweeted, “Glad you finally figured out ‘what that means,’ @jaketapper.”
Glad you finally figured out “what that means”, @jaketapper https://t.co/miQRkcdIi9 pic.twitter.com/abGAFW7igU
— Lara Trump (@LaraLeaTrump) December 11, 2020
The CNN story to which Tapper referred begins by acknowledging, “After going quiet in the months before the election, federal authorities are now actively investigating the business dealings of Hunter Biden, a person with knowledge of the probe said.”
The story quickly added, “His father, President-elect Joe Biden, is not implicated,” before continuing: “Now that the election is over, the investigation is entering a new phase. Federal prosecutors in Delaware, working with the IRS Criminal Investigation agency and the FBI, are taking overt steps such as issuing subpoenas and seeking interviews, the person with knowledge said.”