Fox News’ “The Five” debated Hunter Biden’s addiction defense and allegations made by two whistleblowers from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) during Tuesday’s panel.
Two IRS whistleblowers testified to the House Ways and Means Committee that Hunter Biden sent a July 30, 2017, WhatsApp message to Chinese energy official Henry Zhao allegedly disclosing his father’s involvement in his overseas business dealings. The whistleblowers further alleged the Department of Justice lied to Congress about Hunter Biden’s taxes under the authority of U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland.
The younger Biden pleaded guilty to a gun charge and for failing to pay his taxes in 2017 and 2018 in exchange for not receiving any jail time. The liberal media, particularly ABC’s “The View,” has brushed off Biden’s silence on the matter as “a father’s love” and a way of protecting Hunter from his drug addiction.
“So, do they have a point or are they doing that thing where they’re using the addiction as a protection against any criticism?” host Greg Gutfeld asked at the start of the discussion.
Fox News anchor Dana Perino said a father would use “tough love” to force Hunter to stop “using [his] name” to get money overseas.
“It is just impossible to believe … that a father of a son who he loves so much, a son who is addicted, would not ask his son, ‘how are you doing? What are you doing today? What’s your purpose in life today? What are you getting up to do?'” Perino said. “‘How the hell are you getting all this money and stop using my name to get it.’ What kind of a father doesn’t ask? Where’s the tough love? I have some friends who have been through this with their children and it is a heart-wrenching thing. Sometimes the tough love has just got to be the hardest part of it, the worry, all of that. But there are also consequences.”
“What gets me about that excuse is that, you know, it could be a real excuse, but we know it’s not because clearly Hunter is incredibly competent at raising money,” Gutfeld said. “You can’t be a complete, absolute, incapacitated junkie if you’re raising millions for the ‘Big Guy.'” (RELATED: Psaki Says Hunter Biden Attending State Dinner Was Not ‘Optically Easier’ For White House)
Co-host Judge Jeanine Pirro said congressional Republicans should issue articles of impeachment against Garland and Biden over the matter. Co-anchor Jesse Watters said the reports about Hunter’s drug addiction are overblown to distract from his business dealings with Ukrainian and Chinese energy companies.
“How can you be so blasted on crack that you can set up 17 shells and then take hundreds of thousands from Burisma, loan it to the Chinese shell company and then have the Chinese shell company loan you the money back so you don’t have to pay taxes? Man, if you can do that on crack, pass me the pipe,” Watters said.
Liberal co-host Jessica Tarlov then sparred with the panel, claiming no Democrat is defending Hunter’s character and how this will not impact voters’ decisions in the 2024 presidential election.
“Come on, Jessica, answer this question — what is Hunter’s job?” Watters asked.
“He’s a consultant,” Tarlov answered.
“For what?” Watters pressed.
“Anything,” Tarlov said.
“Anything!” Watters mockingly emphasized. “That’s your answer.”
“It is. No one is defending the character of Hunter Biden. I have, again, not seen a Democrat do that. Everyone says, ‘sleazy, crack addict—'”
“This is about Joe Biden,” Watters interrupted.
“You just asked me what Hunter’s job was, and I’m telling you that Hunter Biden went around the world—” Tarlov said.
“To get money for Joe,” Gutfeld interjected.
Tarlov claimed Hunter’s job is not to get money for his father, and said the American public “does not care.” Watters said Americans have not expressed outrage because federal agencies have “covered up” the information.