REPORTER, MARIO PARKER AND CONGRESS EDITOR MEGAN SCULLY.
GER -- GREAT TO SEE BOTH. DID THE WHITE HOUSE SEE THIS
COMING?
>> IT DID.
JOE BIDEN, MOMENTS AGO SAID HE WAS VERY PROUD OF HIS SON IN
RESPONSE TO REPORTERS QUESTIONS WHILE HE IS OUT ON THE WEST
COAST FOR FUNDRAISING. THE STATEMENT THE WHITE HOUSE
RELEASED EARLIER TODAY ALSO PLAYED INTO SOME OF THE
SYMPATHY WHERE A WHITE HOUSE SPOKESPERSON SAID THE PRESIDENT
AND JILL BIDEN ARE VERY PROUD OF THIS.
THE LANGUAGE IS VERY, VERY PRECISE. IT IS PULLING ON THE
HEARTSTRINGS MAKING IT A FAMILY ISSUE AS OPPOSED TO A POLITIC
ISSUE. KAILEY: THE WHITE HOUSE AND THE BIDEN
ADMINISTRATION IS TRYING TO MAKE THIS ABOUT BIDEN'S FAMILY
AND STANDING BY HUNTER BIDEN, THERE ARE POLITICAL QUESTIONS
AS TO WHETHER OR NOT BIDEN HAD HIS THUMB ON THE SCALE, THE
JUSTICE DEPARTMENT AS IT RELATES TO HIS SON AND THE
FAIRNESS. ALL THESE QUESTIONS ARE COMING
FROM THE REPUBLICANS INCLUDING THE HOUSE SPEAKER, WEIGHING IN
ON THESE CHARGES. THIS IS WHAT HE HAD TO SAY THIS
MORNING.
>> THIS DOES NOTHING TO OUR INVESTIGATION.
IT ACTUALLY SHOULD ENHANCE OUR INVESTIGATION.
THE DOJ SHOULD NOT BE ABLE TO WITHHOLD ANY INFORMATION NOW,
SAYING IT IS A PENDING INVESTIGATION.
THEY SHOULD PROVIDE THE CHAIRMAN WITH ANY INFORMATION
THAT HE REQUIRES. KAILEY: ON THE SUBJECT OF CONGRESSMAN
JAMES, WHO CHAIRS THE OVERSIGHT COMMITTEE, HE RELEASED THE
STATEMENT ABOUT HOW THEY WILL INVESTIGATE HUNTER BIDEN AND
THE FAMILIES DEALINGS. IS THIS AN EXCUSE FOR
REPUBLICANS AND CONGRESS TO DOUBLE DOWN ON THE
INVESTIGATIONS? MEGAN: ABSOLUTELY.
IN COUNTLESS STATEMENTS TODAY, FROM MCCARTHY, COMER, THEY'RE
PLANNING TO KEEP DIGGING ON HUNTER BIDEN AND ON ANY TIES
THAT THE PRESIDENT MAY HAVE HAD TO ANY OF HUNTER'S BUSINESS
DEALINGS, THAT COULD HAVE BEEN ILLEGAL OR UNETHICAL.
INVOLVING AN UNNAMED FOREIGN ENTITY.
WHAT WE HAVE SEEN SO FAR HAS BEEN A LACK OF EVIDENCE IN THE
COMER INVESTIGATION WHICH IS DIFFERENT THAN THE FBI, DOJ
INVESTIGATION. BUT THEY'RE GOING TO CONTINUE
DIGGING. WE WILL SEE WHAT HAPPENS.
ALSO WHAT IS HAPPENING, MORE PUBLICLY IS FUNDRAISING APPEALS.
THEY WASTED NO TIME SENDING OUT EMAILS, LEANING ON THE
TWO-TIERED JUSTICE SYSTEM AND ASKING FOR SOME ART FROM SMALL
DONORS WHICH WE HAVE SEEN, AFTER THE TRUMP ARRAIGNMENT A
FEW DAYS AGO AND NOW WE ARE SEEING IT WITH THE HUNTER
INDICTMENT. JOE: YOU MENTIONED THE RESPONSE FROM
THE WHITE HOUSE. I'M PROUD OF MY SON.
HE SAID THAT AGAIN TODAY AT AN EVENT IN CALIFORNIA.
SOMEBODY SHOUTED A QUESTION AND HE SAID, I AM PROUD OF MY SON.
IT BRINGS US BACK TO A CBS INTERVIEW.
THE PRESIDENT, WITH SCOTT PELLEY, LAST SEPTEMBER, LISTEN.
>> I LOVE MY SON, NUMBER ONE.
HE FOUGHT AN ADDICTION PROBLEM, HE OVERCAME IT, HE WROTE ABOUT
IT. NO THERE'S NOT A SINGLE THING
THAT I HAVE OBSERVED AT ALL, THAT WOULD AFFECT ME OR THE
UNITED STATES RELATIVE TO MY SON HUNTER. JOE:
WITH ALL OF THE QUESTIONS ABOUT HUNTER BIDEN'S LAPTOP, BASED ON
WHAT WE HAVE HEARD FROM MEGAN, WHO WILL LIKELY BE MORE
CONCERTED PUSH TO INVESTIGATE THIS ON CAPITOL HILL, DOES THIS
REMAIN THE RESPONSE FROM THE WHITE HOUSE?
WE HAVE THE LEGAL STORY, BUT THE POLITICAL ONE WILL NOT GO
AWAY. MARIO: THAT WILL REMAIN, THE STRATEGY
AT THE WHITE HOUSE. AS YOU ALLUDED TO, THIS IS A
BONE REPUBLICANS HAVE BEEN CHEWING ON FOR THE BETTER ART
OF THREE OR FOUR YEARS. I WAS IN THE PRESS CONFERENCE
WITH -- RIGHT BEFORE THE DEBATE WHEN THE TRUMP CAMPAIGN BROUGHT
OUT SOMEONE WHO HAD ALLEGEDLY HAD INSIDE INFORMATION ABOUT
THIS DEAL. THEY HAVE BEEN TEARING AT THIS
FOR A WHILE. WHAT DO YOU DO IF YOU DO IF
YOUR REPUBLICANS AND YOUR FRONT-RUNNER HAS 30 SOME COUNTS
IN ONE QUART, 30 SOME COUNTS IN ANOTHER COURT.
THIS IS A GIFT FOR THEM. KAILEY: LET'S TALK ABOUT SAID
FRONT-RUNNER.
FORMER PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP, IN ADDITION TO THE CHARGES
RELATED TO HUNDRED DEAL, THE JUDGE IN CALIFORNIA HAS SET A
DATE OF AUGUST 14. WE WOULD IMAGINE TRUMP'S
DEFENSE MAY TRY TO PUSH THAT BACK A BIT.
DOES THAT INDICATE THAT THAT IS SOMETHING WRAPPED UP BEFORE THE
2024 ELECTION? MARIO: DOUBTFUL. DONALD TRUMP LOVES TO PROLONG
THINGS. ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THINGS, WE
HAVE SEEN PULL INCREASES FOR HIM.
THE COURT DATE IS ABOUT NINE DAYS BEFORE THE FIRST
REPUBLICAN DEBATE IN MILWAUKEE. WHETHER OR NOT HE TAKES THE
STAGE ARE NOT. WHAT IS INTERESTING FROM A
POLITICAL PERSPECTIVE, IF HE DOES DO A WALK INTO THE
COURTROOM NINE DAYS PRIOR, DOES HE TRY TO TURN THAT AGAIN INTO
A WALK INTO THE DEBATE STAGE. AS OF RIGHT NOW, IT HAS NOT
HURT HIS CANDIDACY THAT MUCH. JOE: THERE ARE QUESTIONS ABOUT
DONALD TRUMP SPEAKING OUTSIDE OF'S -- OF COURT, MAKING NEWS
IN A WAY THAT LAWYERS MAY NOT PREFER.
LET'S LISTEN TO AN INTERVIEW WITH FOX NEWS TALKING ABOUT THE
DOCUMENTS CASE.
>> I HAD BOXES. I WANT TO GO THROUGH THE BOXES
AND GET MY PERSONAL THINGS OUT. I DON'T WANT TO HAND THAT OVER.
I WAS VERY BUSY, AS YOU HAVE SEEN.
>> ACCORDING TO THE INDICTMENT, YOU TOLD THIS AID TO MOVE THIS
TO OTHER LOCATIONS AFTER TELLING YOUR LAWYERS YOU ARE
COMPLYING WITH THE SUBPOENA WHEN YOU HAVE NOT.
>> BEFORE I SENT THE BOXES OVER I HAD TO TAKE ALL OF MY THINGS
OUT. THESE BOXES WITH -- WERE
INTEREST FIRST WITH -- WERE INTERSPERSED WITH DIFFERENT
THINGS. JOE: HE ADMITTED TO NOT RETURN THE
DOCUMENTS WHEN ASKED. THAT COULD END UP AS EVIDENCE
IN THE TRIAL. WHEN IS THE INVESTIGATION
GETTING ON CAPITOL HILL? MEGAN: WELL, WE WOULD NOT SEE IT FROM
THE HOUSE SIDE, WHICH IS LED BY REPUBLICANS. JOE:
I WANT TO TALK ABOUT DOUBLE STANDARDS IN WASHINGTON. MEGAN:
AS MARIO MENTIONED, THE WHAT ABOUT IS THE -- WHAT ABOUTISM.
THE EMAILS ABOUT HILLARY CLINTON OVER THE LAST FEW WEEKS
AND NOW CERTAINLY THE TWO-TIERED JUSTICE SYSTEM THEY
TALKED ABOUT IN TERMS OF THE CHARGES AGAINST HUNTER BIDEN
AND THE FORMER PRESIDENT. BUT, I DON'T THINK YOU'RE GOING
TO SEE ANYBODY -- ANY DAYLIGHT BETWEEN HOUSE REPUBLICANS AND
PRESIDENT TRUMP. JOE: NOT THAT I AM SURPRISED BY YOUR
ANSWER. KAILEY: THERE IS A QUESTION OF WHAT
OTHER ACTION THEY MAY TAKE, IF NOT TO INVESTIGATE THE FORMER
PRESIDENT WHO WAS INDICTED, BUT PERHAPS THE MAN WHO WAS -- WHO
HAD INDICTED HIM. THERE'S TALK ABOUT DEFUNDING
HIS EFFORTS. IS THAT SOMETHING THAT CAN GAIN
TRACTION? MEGAN: WE'RE GOING TO SEE A COUPLE OF
THINGS. ONE IS THIS PUSH TO DEFUND THE
INVESTIGATION. IT WOULD HAVE TO GO THROUGH
THEN THE SENATE. THE SENATE IS NOT GOING TO
AGREE TO DEFUND THE DOJ INVESTIGATION, BECAUSE THE
SENATE IS LED BY DEMOCRATS. THIS COULD FACTOR INTO AN END
OF YOUR SHUT DOWN IN SEPTEMBER THAT LEADS US TO A GOVERNMENT
SHUTDOWN. THEN WE ALSO HAVE SOME RUMBLINGS ABOUT IMPEACHMENTS OF
SEPARATELY, THE DHS SECRETARY HAS BEEN TARGETED FOR BORDER
SECURITY PURPOSES. THEN THERE IS SOME KIND OF
GROWING MOMENTUM TO IMPEACH OR AT LEAST MOVE TOWARDS
IMPEACHMENT PROCEEDINGS FOR THE ATTORNEY GENERAL, MERRICK
GARLAND, ANDOR FOR THE FBI DIRECTOR, CHRISTOPHER WRAY.
KAILEY: