New York Times columnist David Brooks and Washington Post associate editor Jonathan Capehart joined PBS NewsHour host Geoff Bennett on Friday for their regularly scheduled recap of the week’s top stories. The trio warned that because Republicans have “no evidence” or “holy cow” moment, they are “cheapening the whole impeachment process.”
Brooks, who is supposed to be the conservative half of the Brooks and Capehart team, tied himself in knots saying that because Joe Biden was present on some phone calls there should be an inquiry, but not an impeachment inquiry because there’s no evidence to support one:
But, it should be looked into, his dad was somewhat involved in some of the conversations, maybe only in small talk. But he was somewhat involved. And so we should know whether Hunter Biden's business was a sham, pretending to peddle influence that he didn't actually have, or whether there was some substance to it. So that, to me, merits an inquiry. It does not merit an impeachment. An impeachment should be, holy cow. We should have, like, some evidence of something truly shocking before we take the extraordinary step of beginning an impeachment inquiry, or else we just risk cheapening the whole impeachment process.
Bennett was eager to play along the idea that Republicans have no evidence, “And Republicans, Jonathan, have failed to produce any evidence of wrongdoing. Pennsylvania Senator John Fetterman was asked about this inquiry in the halls of the U.S. Senate, and this was his response.”
After a clip of Fetterman dismissing the impeachment inquiry, “Oh, my God, really? Oh, my gosh. Oh, it's devastating. Ooh, don't do it. Please, don't do it,” Bennett wondered if that was appropriate. “So, setting aside the senator's sartorial choices, I mean, the fact that he made fun of it, he's dismissing it in a cartoonish way, is that a mistake? Should Democrats take this seriously?”
Capehart affirmed that they should, “Yes, Democrats absolutely should take this seriously,” but “I get where the senator is coming from.”
He then became the third member of the trifecta to claim “there's no evidence here, yet. And if the Republicans were serious, the Oversight Committee under Chairman [James] Comer would be doing a more — a serious investigation, instead of a fishing expedition that they're on so far, finding nothing.”
Capehart would also repeat himself two additional times. First, “And so that's why the senator is like, ooh, ooh, this is so scary. But, on the other hand impeachment is a big deal and the American people, whether they know there's evidence or not, are going to say, ‘Wait, what? He's being impeached. Oh, this is terrible. This is what happens to terrible people who do terrible things.’”
Additionally, Capehart claimed, “we don't have any evidence of that at all. But the key thing here is, the senator is reacting that way, the White House is not. The White House is absolutely taking this seriously. And that's exactly what they should be doing.”
Despite Brooks admitting Joe Biden’s presence on Hunter’s phone calls merits concerns, the trio claimed five times in a two minute span that there is no evidence to suggest Biden did anything wrong. So, which is it?
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Here is a transcript for the September 15 show:
PBS NewsHour
9/15/2023
7:44 PM ET
DAVID BROOKS: But, it should be looked into, his dad was somewhat involved in some of the conversations, maybe only in small talk. But he was somewhat involved. And so we should know whether Hunter Biden's business was a sham, pretending to peddle influence that he didn't actually have, or whether there was some substance to it. So that, to me, merits an inquiry.
It does not merit an impeachment. An impeachment should be, holy cow. We should have, like, some evidence of something truly shocking before we take the extraordinary step of beginning an impeachment inquiry, or else we just risk cheapening the whole impeachment process.
GEOFF BENNETT: And Republicans, Jonathan, have failed to produce any evidence of wrongdoing. Pennsylvania Senator John Fetterman was asked about this inquiry in the halls of the U.S. Senate, and this was his response.
JOHN FETTERMAN: Oh, my God, really? Oh, my gosh. Oh, it's devastating. Ooh, don't do it. Please, don't do it.
BENNETT: So, setting aside the senator's sartorial choices, I mean, the fact that he made fun of it, he's dismissing it in a cartoonish way, is that a mistake? Should Democrats take this seriously?
JONATHAN CAPHEHART: Yes, Democrats absolutely should take this seriously. And I get where the senator is coming from.
To David's point, there's no evidence here, yet. And if the Republicans were serious, the Oversight Committee under Chairman Comer would be doing a more — a serious investigation, instead of a fishing expedition that they're on so far, finding nothing.
And so that's why the senator is like, ooh, ooh, this is so scary. But, on the other hand impeachment is a big deal and the American people, whether they know there's evidence or not, are going to say, “Wait, what? He's being impeached. Oh, this is terrible. This is what happens to terrible people who do terrible things.”
And we don't have any evidence of that at all. But the key thing here is, the senator is reacting that way, the White House is not. The White House is absolutely taking this seriously. And that's exactly what they should be doing.
