Brian Stelter now says Hunter Biden saga isn't just a 'right-wing media story' anymore
CNN media reporter Brian Stelter dismissed the Hunter Biden laptop story in 2020 as a manufactured scandal and possibly a Russian disinformation operation.
CNN’s Brian Stelter pivoted on Sunday when he declared the Hunter Biden scandal isn’t just some "right-wing media story" after previously calling the story "a classic example of the right-wing media machine," but critics feel the liberal host is simply desperate to keep his job.
"Brian Stelter is a TV-news fan boy who's self-worth is connected to being on air, even if no one watches his show. But one of the many reasons he's seen as such a joke is his transparent strategy of doing or saying anything to stay on TV," conservative talk radio host Jason Rantz told Fox News Digital.
"He's not a journalist; he's a publicist for whatever management asks of him. He sees the direction CNN is taking, and he knows he's not the right fit so, suddenly, he's shifting again," Rantz continued. "If Stelter had credibility with the audience to begin with, this would be an issue. This is only about credibility with management, telling them he'll do what's necessary to keep that paycheck."
Brian Stelter has changed his stance on Hunter Biden’s laptop as CNN’s new management wants to focus on "news." (Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for WarnerMedia)
On Sunday's installment of "Reliable Sources," Stelter suggested President Biden's 2024 ambitions could be derailed by the ongoing federal investigations into his son during an interview with Michael LaRosa, the former press secretary for First Lady Jill Biden.
"What about his son? What about Hunter?" Stelter asked. "Hunter under federal investigation, charges can be coming at any time, this is not just a right-wing media story. This is a real problem for the Bidens."
Conservative-leaning media insiders have long assumed the mainstream media would use Hunter Biden’s multiple scandals as a way to pivot from the unpopular president if Democrats wanted to go another direction in 2024, but Stelter’s comment contradicts his previous rhetoric.
In an attempt to dismiss the New York Post's reporting on Hunter Biden’s laptop less than a month before the 2020 election, Stelter suggested the scandal was "manufactured" and a product of pro-Trump "whataboutism" from conservatives.
"There's a lot about this story that does not add up… 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 in 2020 about the story, which delved into Biden's overseas business dealings. "But we do know that this is a classic example of the right-wing media machine."
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CNN’s Brian Stelter heaped doubt on the Hunter Biden laptop story in 2020. (REUTERS/Andrew Kelly)
Stelter also previously called the Post's reporting of Hunter Biden's laptop a "manufactured scandal," a "so-called scandal" and suggested the newspaper is not a "fully reliable source."
Stelter and CNN did not respond to requests for comment.
CNN CEO Chris Licht is evaluating all CNN talent and executives to determine who should stick around after the network drifted to the left under previous leader Jeff Zucker, whom Stelter was known to admire.
Zucker, who oversaw the network’s transition to more sharply partisan programming, was forced to step down earlier in 2022 ahead of the long-planned merger that put CNN under the control of Warner Bros. Discovery. Earlier this year, Axios named Stelter, along with Jim Acosta, as CNN hosts seen as the "face of the network's liberal shift" in the eyes of conservatives who could be shown the door if the new regime institutes an overhaul.
Fox News contributor Joe Concha also believes the about-face from Stelter stems from CNN having a new boss who wants to put an emphasis on "news," as opposed to liberal talking points.
"He’s pretending like he’s actually never said these things and thinks that it could be a big problem for the president in 2024. Yeah, welcome to the party, pal," Concha said Monday on "FOX & Friends First."
"We’ve been talking about this for some time and don’t pretend like you [didn't] dismiss this story as a manufactured scandal and now, because you have a new boss, I guess he’s trying to keep his job by actually doing his job, by talking about this story the way it should be talked about," Concha said.
In a recording, CNN Political Director David Chalian could be heard saying during a conference call on Oct. 14, 2020, the same day the Post released its first reports on Hunter Biden's emails, that CNN wouldn't be pursuing the story for the moment. Chalian later insisted the report was "giving its marching orders" to the "right-wing echo chamber about what to talk about today."
In April, Stelter still defended legacy media outlets that by and large chose not to cover the infamous laptop scandal in 2020, or heap doubt on it. NPR boasted to readers why it wasn't covering the story, declaring it a waste of time.
"I think there's a tension between big American newsrooms that want to check something out themselves that don't want to rely on other outlets, that don't want to just repeat and regurgitate, but then there's an audience expectation of being able to instantly cover every story and have every answer," Stelter said during a panel discussion at the "Disinformation and the Erosion of Democracy" conference. "So in September or October of 2020, when the New York Post has something, other outlets can't match it, there's this pressure. 'Why aren't you confirming this? Why aren't you focusing on this? Why aren't you leading on this?' Because we haven't matched it, we haven't confirmed it."
He then declared, "I think there's this tension between fast and slow journalism, perhaps, between people who know how newsrooms work and the vast majority of those who don't."
The Hunter Biden laptop story was downplayed by CNN’s Brian Stelter in 2020 as possibly fake news. (Getty Images)
The conservative Media Research Center associate editor Nicholas Fondacaro believes Stelter’s original stance was politically motivated, and his newfound revelation could be for the same reason.
"It’s a tacit admission that the media’s refusal to cover and active suppression of the Hunter Biden story was done with political motives by the supposed unbiased press. With the presidential election coming up, they needed to kill and bury any story that could do the same for Biden’s chances against Trump. That’s why Stelter was so comfortable denouncing the emails as fraudulent, and used those reporting the story as an ad hominem attack against the truth," Fondacaro told Fox News Digital.
"His unabashed reversal could also have political motives, as in the left and the pseudo-intellectuals trying to damage Biden to keep him from running and seeing him as a liability for their future," he added, noting that it might also be an attempt to salvage his career at the network.
"It could also be possible that Licht might be putting pressure on his reporters to be honest with big stories and, given Stelter’s penchant for punditry, it could be an attempt to help save his job in his new CNN," Fondacaro said.
Stelter’s flip-flop was covered Monday on "Outnumbered," when co-host Kayleigh McEnany said it appeared Stelter has "multiple personalities" when discussing Hunter Biden.
"That was a different Brian Stelter in 2020 than in 2022," she said.
Fox News’ Todd Piro responded by making a "Seinfeld" reference about the CNN media pundit, saying it was a "Bizarro Stelter" before elaborating.
"It wasn’t the fact that they got the story wrong, it was how sanctimonious they were that Fox and the New York Post were drumming up some right-wing conspiracy about Hunter Biden," Piro said. "It wasn’t that hard to research, a lot of people were able to verify the story and then report it."
DePauw University professor Jeffrey McCall was shocked at Stelter’s pivot, but disagrees with critics who believe he was just placating the new boss.
"This really is a stunning reversal by CNN, and Stelter, in particular. The new management at CNN could be a factor, but I would be surprised if that is the sole or even a major factor," McCall told Fox News Digital.
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"The Hunter Biden situation was a legitimate news story all along, but establishment media couldn’t bring themselves to cover it for fear it could help Trump’s re-election campaign. Now that Biden’s administration is taking on water, left-of-center media feel safer in covering the Hunter story that has been in front of their faces for months," McCall continued. "CNN and other establishment media pretty much have to give this story some attention at this time, because if formal charges do eventually get filed against Hunter, their total silence in the run-up would look quite conspicuous and shameful."
McCall also feels "Stelter could help his credibility" by clarifying why he pointedly dismissed the story in 2020, and provide context to what prompted his current interest.
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