White House on if Hunter Used Joe’s Speakerphone Calls to Show His Access, Sell Biden Brand: Joe Didn’t Talk Business
On Thursday’s broadcast of the Fox News Channel’s “The Story,” White House National Security Council Coordinator for Strategic Communications John Kirby responded to a question on whether President Joe Biden’s speakerphone calls to his son Hunter were used by Hunter to show he had access to his father by stating, “There were no discussions about business with his son or his son’s business partners.”
Host Martha MacCallum asked, [relevant exchange begins around 4:40] “I know you saw Peter Doocy’s question to the President yesterday. The President said, ‘I never talked business [with] anybody,’ but Devon Archer testified that the point of putting the phone — the speakerphone down at those meetings — which is what Peter was asking about — was just to demonstrate access that Hunter had access to the then-vice president and to sell the Biden brand. So, what do you say about that, John? And when will the President actually answer some of these questions to put some of this to rest himself?”
Kirby answered, “Oh, my goodness, Martha, he just did with Peter. He’s the one who called Peter over. … And, look, he knows Peter, he knows Peter’s not going to ask some softball question about how his vacation was. He knows who Peter is. And he answered that question. And I don’t know what it’s going to take for –.”
MacCallum then cut in to say, “He didn’t answer whether or not he was on speakerphone in those meetings, John. He just said, ‘I never talked business [with] anybody[.]’”
Kirby responded, “The question was about business and he answered it consistently with what he’s said so many times before. He’s been very consistent that he wasn’t talking business.”
MacCallum then cut in to ask, “But the question is was he allowing his presence on speakerphone to speak volumes? Was he allowing that presence to say, this is my son, he has access to me, while he was talking to Ukrainian businessmen, Chinese businessmen, Russian businessmen, after the invasion of Crimea as Katie Pavlich just pointed out?”
Kirby answered, “I just don’t know how many times he’s going to have to say no to the same question. And he’s said it consistently, he’s been consistent about this. There were no discussions about business with his son or his son’s business partners. And again, he called Peter over, and I’m not saying he knew that that was the question, but he certainly knew it wasn’t going to be a softball, and he answered it.”
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