Reacting to the news that Speaker Kevin McCarthy has authorized an impeachment inquiry into President Joe Biden on Tuesday’s Inside Politics on CNN, host Dana Bash blamed “the consuming of media” for a poll that showed 61 percent of Americans believe Joe Biden was involved with his son Hunter’s business operations and not because of any evidence. Ironically, later in the show, Bash would change into a sweater that read “be truthful, not neutral.”
Bash, who just might be Biden’s top media defender of the issue, warned that “They're trying to separate the Hunter Biden of it all, from the Joe Biden of it all, but at its heart, the allegation, which we can say and we’re going to say umpteen times until they produce something, does not have evidence that we've seen to back it up, is that they're connected, and that Hunter Biden somehow influenced Joe Biden particularly when he was vice president, not now.”
Turning to recent polls and political director David Chalian, Bash mourned, "Do you believe that Biden had any involvement or not? If you look at the numbers there, it is pretty astounding. Sixty-one percent say, yes. Thirty-eight percent say no. And that’s largely based on the consuming of media, I'm sure. And just hearing drip, drip, drip. Not because they've actually seen evidence because we haven't."
If anything, the media has echoed Bash on the issue. It is also a fact that Joe Biden was present on calls with Hunter and his associates, which shows at least some level of involvement.
For his part, Chalian agreed with Bash, “I mean, there is real work to do, when it comes for the White House to change public perception. From where it is after all of this time, of dust being kicked up around this. Now, you said that the heart of the allegation is some connection between Biden and Hunter Biden.”
Earlier, on CNN News Central, Chalian also lamented Republicans are moving forward while supposedly having no evidence and that the amount of impeachments over recent years is not “a healthy thing” as if Democrats didn’t escalate that. Congressional correspondent Manu Raju would also get in on the lack of “definitive proof” talking point.
As for Bash, later in the show, she welcomed Christiane Amanpour on to discuss foreign affairs and her 40 years at the network and after a quick wardrobe change called attention to the fact that “I am wearing a sweater that says ‘Be truthful, not neutral.’
That slogan is Amanpour’s catchphrase and her pinned tweet, but earlier Bash was neither truthful nor neutral. Nor was she later when she welcomed Virginia Democratic Rep. Gerry Connolly and allowed him to state unchallenged, “I think they're making it up.”
This segment was sponsored by Trivago.
Here is a transcript for the September 12 show:
CNN Inside Politics with Dana Bash
9/12/2023
12:20 PM ET
DANA BASH: They're trying to separate the Hunter Biden of it all, from the Joe Biden of it all, but at its heart, the allegation, which we can say and we’re going to say umpteen times until they produce something, does not have evidence that we've seen to back it up, is that they're connected, and that Hunter Biden somehow influenced Joe Biden particularly when he was vice president, not now.
Let's look at a poll, that I know, David, you talked extensively when it came out, about how people view Biden's potential alleged involvement in Hunter Biden's business. Do you believe that Biden had any involvement or not? If you look at the numbers there, it is pretty astounding. Sixty-one percent say, yes. Thirty-eight percent say no. And that’s largely based on the consuming of media, I'm sure.
And just hearing drip, drip, drip. Not because they've actually seen evidence because we haven't.
DAVID CHALIAN: Yeah. Forty-two percent of that 61, those think Joe Biden acted illegally. I mean, there is real work to do, when it comes for the White House to change public perception. From where it is after all of this time, of dust being kicked up around this. Now, you said that the heart of the allegation is some connection between Biden and Hunter Biden. That's the heart of the impeachment---
BASH: Yes.
CHALIAN: --allegation. There's no allegation about that in the law enforcement matter in the case against Hunter Biden right now.
…
12:34 PM ET
BASH: Christiane, I'm not sure if you have a monitor, but I did a quick costume change while you're speaking and I am wearing a sweater that says "Be truthful, not neutral.”
