If a press secretary “no comments” a story away, does it make a sound?
Apparently not — if the media are compliant enough.
On Tuesday, Fox News correspondent Peter Doocy asked White House spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre about a voicemail in which Joe Biden comforted his son, saying he was “in the clear” after an exposé in The New York Times about a crooked Chinese operator who had dealings with Hunter. It puts the lie to Biden’s claim that he’s never spoken to Hunter about his overseas business dealings.
But Jean-Pierre couldn’t be bothered to comment.
“We’re not, from this podium — I’m not going to talk about alleged materials from the laptop,” she replied.
Pressed if she was denying the voicemail was real, Jean-Pierre reiterated, “I am not going to talk about alleged materials from the laptop.”
Of course she won’t. After all, such stonewalling has worked since October 2020, when Joe and Hunter cast vague aspersions on the New York Post’s laptop reporting without ever denying its authenticity. They knew it was real, but by dropping “alleged” and “Russian disinformation!” reporters had an excuse to ignore it.
Of course, this strategy only succeeds if enough of the press cooperates. And true to form, no one from the Times, Politico, CNN, MSNBC, Washington Post et al. bothered to follow up Doocy’s questions.
Jean-Pierre sings, “We don’t talk about Hunter,” and the press room parrots, “No, no, no.”
Yet The Post, Fox and a few other publications will continue to ask our questions. And after Republicans take control of the House in November, the answers will be legally compelled. “I’m not going to talk about it” won’t fly. The conspiracy of silence will finally be broken.
