CNN White House correspondent John Harwood was mocked on Wednesday for claiming there was "zero evidence" that President Biden is connected to his son’s alleged corruption.
Harwood, who often takes on the role of a liberal pundit despite his correspondent title, became the latest media member to acknowledge that Hunter Biden could be a problem for the administration – but went out of his way to claim the president didn’t do "anything wrong" despite the actions of his son. Last week, The New York Times published a deep dive into the Justice Department's ongoing investigation of Hunter Biden, who himself publicly acknowledged in December 2020 that the feds were looking into his "tax affairs."
NEW YORK TIMES FINALLY CONFIRMS HUNTER BIDEN'S LAPTOP AFTER DISMISSING IT AMID 2020 ELECTION
The Times reported that while Hunter Biden has "paid off a significant tax liability," a federal grand jury has subpoenaed witnesses and documents regarding his foreign business dealings. The Times story also indicated that Hunter Biden’s laptop, which was first reported by the New York Post prior to the 2020 election but initially dismissed by corporate media and censored by Twitter, was authenticated.
"It seems pretty clear that Hunter Biden was trading on his father’s name to make a lot of money, he’s had a difficult life, but until someone makes a nexus between what Hunter Biden has done and official activities of Vice President Biden or President Biden, it’s a not-pretty picture, but it’s not really of much public import in terms of the policy of the United States or the administration of the government," Harwood said on "New Day."
"There is zero evidence that Vice President Biden, or President Biden, has done anything wrong in connection with what Hunter Biden has done," Harwood added as anchor Brianna Keilar declared it was "an important distinction."
Harwood was among the numerous liberal journalists who dismissed the Biden laptop story at the time. In a tweet in Oct. 22, 2020, he tweeted that a Trump interview that day "makes clear disinformation by Russian intelligence on Biden isn’t enough to carry him across the finish line on its own."
Grabien Media founder Tom Elliott shared the clip, referring to Harwood as a "W.H. spox — pardon, I mean CNN ‘reporter.’"
"The ‘there is no evidence line’ is always a convenient out and excuse for apologists who haven’t dared to bother looking," Katie Pavlich responded.
Author Jim Hanson bluntly called Harwood’s comment a "damn lie," while journalist Jeff Carlson added, "We can show you the evidence."
New York Post reporter Jon Levine reminded followers that an email found on the infamous laptop referred to the elder Biden as "the big guy" during a proposed financial breakdown of an undertaking with foreign energy executives which famously included the suggestion, ‘10 held by H for the big guy?’" Politico reported in 2021 that the email was authentic.
"He long ago gave up his journo card in exchanged for lefty hack membership," podcaster John Gibson wrote of Harwood.
"What stage of Hunter Biden laptop media grief would this be? Seems like ‘bargaining’… depression, then acceptance next," former CNN digital producer and media critic Steve Krakauer wrote.
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Journalist Glenn Greenwald said that Harwood is one of the two most loyal Democratic Party spokespeople in mainstream media, alongside only Washington Post scribe Philip Bump.
"Not even Jen Psaki is as devoted to the Party and Biden. Even Maddow throws in an occasional criticism of Dems (usually: they should fight the GOP harder!, but still)," Greenwald tweeted.
Fox News’ Joseph A. Wulfsohn contributed this report.