OPINION: This article may contain commentary which reflects the author's opinion.
Republicans on Wednesday released scores of examples of alleged “influence peddling” after Democrats charged earlier in the week that the GOP lacked any materials to move ahead with an impeachment inquiry.
GOP lawmakers cited 22 examples alone after Democrats and left-wing pundits throughout the media accused them of being light on evidence.
The Associated Press, for example, wrote in a social media post that House Republicans claimed “without evidence” that Biden and his son had engaged in influence peddling.
Since gaining the House majority, House Republicans have aggressively investigated Biden and his son, claiming without evidence that they engaged in an influence peddling scheme.
Here's what comes next: https://t.co/4Qxz6C2IXY
— The Associated Press (@AP) September 12, 2023
“There is mounting evidence that Joe Biden was involved in his family’s influence peddling schemes, including while he served as Vice President,” the House Oversight Committee said in a press release. “However, Democrats and their corporate media allies continue to ignore this overwhelming evidence as they seek to distract the American people from the Biden family’s corruption. Below are over 20 examples of Joe Biden’s involvement.”
Democrats say there is “no evidence.”
Wrong.
Here it is: https://t.co/exDd8iFAL2
— Rep Andy Biggs (@RepAndyBiggsAZ) September 13, 2023
Earlier in the week, Ian Sams, a spokesperson for the White House Counsel’s Office, sent a memo to major news outlets asking that they “ramp up their scrutiny” of House Republicans “for opening an impeachment inquiry based on lies,” the New York Post reported.
The memo, sent to major outlets including CNN, the New York Times, and Fox News, comes after House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) announced an impeachment inquiry had begun into President Joe Biden after several committees claimed to have found incriminating evidence regarding alleged bribes and suspected enrichment from selling the “Biden brand.”
“Through our investigations, we have found that President Biden did lie to the American people about his own knowledge of his family’s foreign business dealings,” McCarthy alleged earlier this week, claiming that “these allegations paint a picture of a culture of corruption.”
Sams targeted select media outlets on Tuesday but then sent the memo to the White House press list the following day. But the instructions rankled several members of the media who complained that the administration was attempting to dictate editorial direction regarding impeachment, The Post added.
“They should be playing hardball, and instead, what they’re doing is bitching about the media,” a White House reporter who regularly attends briefings told the outlet.
“I don’t think the media likes being told what to do. I think it’s going to backfire,” the reporter predicted, according to The Post. “It seems to say to me that they believe the media will just do what [the White House] tells them. It’s a terrible look for the administration.”
The correspondent went on to say that a “hardball” approach would be the White House attempting to take the wind out of Republicans’ impeachment sails by addressing factual disputes and providing additional context.
“If you want to play hardball, trot out Hunter to say what he did or didn’t do, explain why the payments are a nothing burger,” the reporter told The Post. “Or just issue a rebuttal memo.”
“This is not OK,” journalist Matthew Keys tweeted. “The White House should not be encouraging, influencing or interfering in the editorial strategies of America’s newsrooms, including CNN and the New York Times.”
He added: “Now, any time the media DOES try to hold Republican lawmakers to account, those lawmakers can simply counter by questioning whether it’s actual journalism or something encouraged by the Biden administration.”
“All this demonstrates is that the Biden administration has lost confidence in the news media — which I guess mirrors public sentiment over the last few years, too,” Keys noted further.
A White House source told CNN, which first reported on the memo, that Sams was expected to send it first to executives at CNN, The New York Times, The Associated Press, Fox News, and CBS News.
