Fox News host applauds Senate investigation of Hunter Biden: “Donald Trump has taught Republicans” to “fight”
Published
Citation From the May 20, 2020, edition of Fox News’ Outnumbered
MELISSA FRANCIS (CO-HOST): President Trump urging Senate Republicans to ramp up the pressure on Democrats as election season kicks into high gear, and referencing his claims that there was an effort by Obama officials to sabotage his presidency.
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This as GOP Senators move forward with Obama-era investigations. The Senate Homeland Security Committee, led by Ron Johnson, chairman, voting today to authorize a subpoena related to its probe into Hunter Biden and Ukrainian energy company Burisma, while Judiciary Committee Chairman Lindsey Graham says he wants to release the findings of his investigation into Operation Crossfire Hurricane before the November election. Let's take those two pieces separately, and Pete, let me start with you. The idea of investigating Hunter Biden versus maybe talking about it when you're out on the campaign trail as a politician -- is it a good look to be investigating it in Congress? Or does it look political? What do you think?
PETE HEGSETH (CO-HOST, FOX & FRIENDS WEEKEND): Well, I think you look at it, and if it deserves to be investigated, you investigate it because if you think about the weight of what went against the president -- but to the first topic, as well. If there's one thing Donald Trump has taught Republicans to do, and that they ought to, it is fight. For so long, Republicans explained away or apologized, or, “Oh, why isn't the media fair to me? I wish I could get a better angle." And he said you've got to go at them harder than they come at you. You've got to give the nicknames, you've got to call them out for their godless, borderless socialism. Call them out for who they are, and let the people decide. Because otherwise, the whole terrain is slanted against you on the campaign trail. So if you've got something — trust me, if they have something on a Republican, they're going to use it. So if Joe Biden has a liability with Hunter, why are we afraid to use it? That's the sort of realpolitik, hardball view that Trump has taken. It has served him well so far. I think backing down and trying to equivocate is not the effective route for Republicans at any level right now.
FRANCIS: Yeah. Leslie, what do you think about that response?
LESLIE MARSHALL (FOX NEWS CONTRIBUTOR): Pete, I didn't hear you say it wasn't political because it is political. I mean, even the attorney general, the Department of Justice has said, look, it's very unlikely there's going to be any investigation into the former president, Barack Obama, or the former vice president, Joe Biden. Hunter Biden's not running, last time I checked, for president. Joe Biden is. Joe Biden is going to be the Democratic nominee, and you want to take down Hunter Biden so you can connect the dots and take down Joe Biden. And that's just not going to happen. So this is political, it's theater, it's a distraction, and it's typical -- both sides do it, sadly, in an election year, especially when you have the country so divided and so tight a race as we are seeing between Donald Trump and Joe Biden.