Fox News host Martha MacCallum and White House spokesman John Kirby tangled on Thursday about Hunter Biden’s business enterprises and whether his father was involved in them.
On Wednesday, Fox News White House Correspondent Peter Doocy asked President Joe Biden about Republicans’ allegations that he profited from his son’s dealings. Doocy cited congressional testimony from the younger Biden’s former business partner, who said he never heard father and son talk business, but that Hunter sometimes put his father on speakerphone during meetings to engage in pleasantries when Joe was vice president.
“There’s this testimony now where one of your son’s former business associates is claiming that you were on speakerphone a lot with them talking business,” Doocy told the president.
“I never talked business anybody, and I knew you’d have a lousy question,” Biden responded.
MacCallum asked Kirby about the exchange.
“The president said, ‘I never talked business to anybody,’” she said. “But Devon Archer testified that the point of putting the phone, 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 these questions to put some of this to rest himself?”
Kirby replied:
Oh, my goodness, Martha. I mean, he just did with Peter. I mean, he’s the one who called Peter over and had Peter, you know, risk life and limb cutting across that barrier. I mean, he specifically called Peter over. And you know, look, he knows Peter. He knows Peter’s not gonna ask some softball question about, you know, how his vacation was. He knows who Peter is and he answered that question. I don’t know what it’s gonna take–
“But he didn’t answer whether or not he was on speakerphone in those meetings, John,” MacCallum interrupted. “He just said, ‘I never’s talked business with anybody.”
“The question was about business and he answered it consistently with what he said so, so many times before,” Kirby protested.
MacCallum asked whether Joe Biden was allowing his mere presence on speakerphone calls “to speak volumes” about the access his son had.
“I just don’t know how many times he’s gonna have to say, ‘No’ to the same question,” Kirby said of the president.
