MSNBC Legal Analyst Dismisses ‘Awfully Flimsy’ Hunter Biden Text To Andrea Mitchell
MSNBC Legal Analyst Barbara McQuade told Andrea Mitchell that the purported WhatsApp message from Hunter Biden is “awfully flimsy” as the basis for an investigation.
At issue is a July 30, 2017 message released by the House Ways and Means Committee that was purportedly sent by Hunter Biden to a Henry Zhao that reads:
I am sitting here with my father, and we would like to understand why the commitment made has not been fulfilled. Tell the director that I would like to resolve this now before it gets out of hand, and now means tonight. And, Z, if I get a call or text from anyone involved in this other than you, Zhang, or the chairman, I will make certain that between the man sitting next to me and every person he knows and my ability to forever hold a grudge, that you will regret not following my direction. I am sitting here waiting for the call with my father.
On Friday’s edition of MSNBC’s Andrea Mitchell Reports, Mitchell pointed out that President Joe Biden was not in office during this time period, and McQuade dismissed the message as “puffery” from Hunter:
ANDREA MITCHELL: Barbara, the whistle blower testimony, though, is from two IRS agents who say that the DOJ and other government officials improperly interfered in their Hunter Biden investigation, giving Hunter Biden preferential treatment. There’s been a lot of pushback against that. It was a Trump appointee. A US attorney was held over. It was kept outside of DOJ. But what do you think about that? And we have not verified, it’s based on a WhatsApp. We don’t know the verification of that. We don’t know whether Hunter was exaggerating when he talked to someone, if it was he, if it’s authentic, when he said, My father’s here with me. And it was when Joe Biden was not in office, in between vice presidency and the presidency.
BARBARA MCQUADE: Yes, I heard that statement. And I find it to be awfully flimsy on which to build any sort of an investigation. It just simply is some sort of puffery from Hunter Biden.
Hunter Biden attorney Christopher Clark released the following statement about the message:
An extensive, five-year-long investigation conducted by the United States Department of Justice (DOJ) concluded this week, which resulted in my client taking responsibility for two instances of misdemeanor failure to file tax payments, as well as a firearm charge, which will be subject to a pretrial diversion agreement. As his attorney through this entire matter, I can say that any suggestion the investigation was not thorough, or cut corners, or cut my client any slack, is preposterous and deeply irresponsible.
The DOJ investigation covered a period which was a time of turmoil and addiction for my client. Any verifiable words or actions of my client, in the midst of a horrible addiction, are solely his own and have no connection to anyone in his family.
Biased and politically-motivated, selective leaks have plagued this matter for years. They are not only irresponsible, they are illegal. A close examination of the document released publicly yesterday by a very biased individual raises serious questions over whether it is what he claims it to be. It is dangerously misleading to make any conclusions or inferences based on this document.”
White House Counsel’s Office spokesman Ian Sams gave Mediaite the following statement when reached for comment:
As we have said many times before, the President was not in business with his son. As we have also said many times before, the Justice Department makes decisions in its criminal investigations independently, and in this case, the White House has not been involved. As the President has said, he loves his son and is proud of him accepting responsibility for his actions and is proud of what he is doing to rebuild his life.
Watch above via MSNBC’s Andrea Mitchell Reports.
