The New York Times doctored a portion of Hunter Biden’s speech on Wednesday to make it seem like Joe Biden had absolutely no involvement in his son’s business dealings.
“Let me state as clearly as I can: My father was not financially involved in my business,” Hunter said on Capitol Hill Wednesday in defiance of a congressional subpoena.
This is so bad. @nytimes doctored what Hunter said today, leaving out the key word. Wow.
NYT: “Let me state as clearly as I can: My father was not involved in my business.”
Hunter: “Let me state as clearly as I can: My father was not *financially* involved in my business.” pic.twitter.com/cDQEnShr6n
— Hans Mahncke (@HansMahncke) December 13, 2023
But when reporting on the development, the New York Times omitted the word “financially” from Hunter’s speech, effectively changing the meaning of his statement to convey that Joe Biden had no involvement whatsoever in Hunter’s businesses.
“Let me state as clearly as I can: My father was not involved in my business.”
The Times has since corrected its reporting to include what Hunter actually said.
The story’s writer Luke Broadwater quietly deleted an X post featuring the doctored quote shortly after getting called out by The Federalist’s Mollie Hemingway.
That carefully phrased statement by Hunter which Broadwater changed presented an inconsistency in the Biden family’s story that raised eyebrows among members of Congress.
House Oversight member Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) pointed out Hunter’s “interesting” choice of words with that phrase “financially involved.”
“I’ve had a chance to review what Hunter said at his press conference and I think he made an interesting statement. He said his father was not ‘financially involved’ in the business,” Jordan told reporters.
BREAKING: GOP Congressman @Jim_Jordan says Hunter Biden just told another blatant lie during his press conference that President was not financially involved in his business, warns that “lIf he doesn’t testify, “We’re going to move forward with contempt proceedings.” WATCH pic.twitter.com/Y0wOLeD9C7
— Simon Ateba (@simonateba) December 13, 2023
“And I think that qualifier, that word ‘financially’ is important. Because once again it shows another change in the story. First it was no involvement. Then, ‘no I never talked to anyone.’ Then we find out about the dinners, the meetings, the phone calls, everything else.”
“Now it’s ‘oh, well he wasn’t in the business ‘financially.’ I think that is important. It’s one of the reasons we want to talk to Hunter Biden,” he added.
“The story keeps changing!” Jordan noted in a subsequent post on X.
“I have never spoken to my son about his overseas business dealings.” -Joe Biden, 2019
“The President was never in business with his son.” –@PressSec, July 2023
“My father was not involved ??????????? in my business.” -Hunter Biden, today
The story keeps changing!
— Rep. Jim Jordan (@Jim_Jordan) December 13, 2023
Others also highlighted the shift in Hunter’s story with the word “financially.”
Note what Hunter left off his list of biz Joe supposedly not “financially involved” in. He omitted CEFC, which wired millions to shell companies some of which ended up in Joe’s account, or Sinohawk, about which Bobulinski told FBI Joe and he met (“10 held by H for the big guy”)
— Paul Sperry (@paulsperry_) December 13, 2023
BREAKING: In Hill press conference, Hunter Biden just tore up his father’s defense of corruption allegations by arguing he was not “financially” involved in his business deals — a tacit admission Joe Biden was involved in other ways, directly contradicting Joe’s blanket denials
— Paul Sperry (@paulsperry_) December 13, 2023
The Committee announced it will launch contempt of Congress proceedings against Hunter after his stunt, where a criminal referral could be handed down to Joe Biden’s Justice Department.
Notably, Joe Biden once said anybody who defied a congressional subpoena should be arrested.
But given the perpetrator in this case is his own son, that will almost certainly not occur.
