White House press secretary, Karine Jean-Pierre, faced social media backlash after her remarks regarding President Biden’s involvement in his son Hunter’s business activities.
Conservatives expressed criticism towards Jean-Pierre’s responses during Monday’s press briefing, where she was questioned about allegations of the president’s communication with Hunter’s foreign business associates.
“I’ve been asked this question a million times,” she said. “The answer remains the same: The President was never in business with his son. I just don’t have anything else to add.”
Her reply triggered a wave of criticism on Twitter, with users accusing her of evading the question and attempting to alter the narrative.
“I get the sense Joe Biden defines ‘business’ in much the same way Clinton defined ‘sex,’” remarked The Federalist editor David Harsanyi in a Twitter post.
Several users expressed their opinion that Jean-Pierre’s statement veered away from the central point of discussion, which revolved around the extent of Biden’s involvement with his son’s business.
“So we’ve gone from: ‘I have never spoken to my son about his overseas business dealings’… To: ‘The president was never in business with his son,’” commented New York Post columnist Miranda Devine. “Big difference.”
Devine hinted that the White House might soon engage in a semantic analysis of the term “in business.” Her comments accompanied a video clip of the press secretary’s Monday briefing at the White House.
A contributing editor for The Spectator observed that the administration appeared to alter its stance on the matter, indicating a shift in the goalposts.
“‘Being in business with’ was not the question,” commented Stephen L. Miller on Twitter. “Joe Biden said previously he never even spoke about business with his son. Quite the hedge!”
Despite persistent allegations challenging this assertion, Biden has consistently denied engaging in discussions about business matters with Hunter.
The CEO of TrendMacro retweeted a comment from New York Times reporter Peter Baker, who questioned the phrasing used by the White House in their response.
“My my my,” wrote Donald Luskin in a post to Twitter. “When a NY Times hack points out the Biden administration’s evasions like this, the end is nigh.”
An IRS whistleblower revealed a WhatsApp message from 2017, which was presented as a specific piece of evidence. The message allegedly showed Hunter discussing his father’s involvement in his business operations.
