On Monday, all three network morning shows made sure to closely follow Democratic Party talking points as reporters dismissed Republican requests for Hunter Biden to testify during upcoming public impeachment hearings. Despite Joe Biden’s son being the subject of President Trump’s controversial phone call with the president of Ukraine, journalists on NBC, ABC, and CBS accepted Democratic claims that “there’s no reason to question Hunter Biden.”

After noting “Democrats aiming to keep the spotlight on the July 25th phone call between President Trump and the leader of Ukraine,” on NBC’s Today show, White House correspondent Kristen Welker fretted: “But Republicans are aiming to broaden the inquiry to include an investigation into the business dealings of Hunter Biden, who was on the board of a Ukrainian company while his father, Joe Biden, was vice president.”

Rather than discuss the substantive reasons behind the GOP request, Welker instead turned to Democrats to immediately shoot down the possibility: “Democrats say while some suggested Republicans witnesses could be called, there’s no reason to question Hunter Biden.”

A clip ran of New York Democratic Congressman Sean Patrick Maloney arguing: “There are certainly questions, of course, and many people have asked them, but it’s not relevant to this week’s hearing.”

Instead of challenging that claim, Welker quickly moved on to declare: “It comes as Republicans struggle with their messaging.”

“Over the weekend, Republicans put out their own witness wish list, including Joe Biden’s son Hunter and the anonymous whistleblower who sparked this impeachment inquiry,” correspondent Mary Bruce told viewers on ABC’s Good Morning America.

A soundbite was featured of Republican Senator Lindsey Graham explaining: “It’s impossible to bring this case forward, in my view, fairly without us knowing who the whistleblower is and having a chance to cross-examine them about any biases they may have.”

However, she then threw a wet blanket on the idea with the help of liberal lawmakers: “But Democrats say that’s not going to happen. The Chairman leading the hearings, Adam Schiff, says it would be ‘redundant’ and ‘would only place their personal safety at grave risk.’”

Bruce hastened to add: “Eager to focus on Trump, Democrats are not likely to call Hunter Biden either. Schiff warning the hearings ‘will not serve as vehicles for any member to carry out the same sham investigations into the Bidens.’”

On CBS This Morning, co-host Tony Dokoupil warned: “And Democrats are pushing back against witnesses that Republicans want to testify. GOP members want to question Hunter Biden, son of former Vice President Joe Biden, about corruption in Ukraine.” The anchor parroted objections from the President’s political opponents: “Democrats say that has nothing to do with the accusations from several officials that the President withheld military aid and pushed Ukraine to investigate the Bidens and other Democrats.”

In the report that followed, correspondent Nancy Cordes proclaimed:

But this is part of the Republican strategy. They want to call witnesses who they feel would bolster their argument that President Trump was simply trying to investigate corruption in Ukraine. They also want to bring attention back to claims about Hunter Biden’s work in Ukraine, though there has been no evidence of any wrongdoing there.

She then predictably let Democrats have the final word: “House Intelligence Chairman Adam Schiff said that he would evaluate the list but that he would not allow these hearings to become, quote, ‘sham investigations into the Bidens or debunked conspiracy theories.’”

As long as Democrats say there’s nothing to see regarding the Bidens, the liberal media will dutifully repeat the line without question.

Help fight against the liberal media's impeachment crusade

Here is a transcript of the November 11 coverage on NBC’s Today show:

7:07 AM ET (...) KRISTEN WELKER: This morning, as Washington braces for the next critical phase of the impeachment inquiry, public hearings, President Trump on defense.



DONALD TRUMP: This is a witch hunt at the highest level. WELKER: It all gets under way Wednesday, when current and former State Department officials testify on camera about their firsthand accounts, saying the President withheld military aid to get Ukraine to investigate the Bidens. Heading into this week, a sharp partisan divide over the way forward. Democrats aiming to keep the spotlight on the July 25th phone call between President Trump and the leader of Ukraine, and their key question, did the White House withhold military aid unless Ukraine did a political favor for the President? REP. JACKIE SPEAR [D-CA]: This is a very simple, straightforward act, the President broke the law. WELKER: But Republicans are aiming to broaden the inquiry to include an investigation into the business dealings of Hunter Biden, who was on the board of a Ukrainian company while his father, Joe Biden, was vice president. SEN. RAND PAUL [R-KY]: It’s unfair to treat Trump to one standard and Joe Biden under a different standard. WELKER: Democrats say while some suggested Republicans witnesses could be called, there’s no reason to question Hunter Biden. REP. SEAN PATRICK MALONEY [D-NY]: There are certainly questions, of course, and many people have asked them, but it’s not relevant to this week’s hearing. WELKER: It comes as Republicans struggle with their messaging. (...)

Here is a transcript from ABC’s GMA:

7:09 AM ET (...) MARY BRUCE: Over the weekend, Republicans put out their own witness wish list, including Joe Biden’s son Hunter and the anonymous whistleblower who sparked this impeachment inquiry. SEN. LINDSEY GRAHAM [R-SC]: It’s impossible to bring this case forward, in my view, fairly without us knowing who the whistleblower is and having a chance to cross-examine them about any biases they may have. BRUCE: But Democrats say that’s not going to happen. The Chairman leading the hearings, Adam Schiff, says it would be “redundant” and “would only place their personal safety at grave risk.” Eager to focus on Trump, Democrats are not likely to call Hunter Biden either. Schiff warning the hearings “will not serve as vehicles for any member to carry out the same sham investigations into the Bidens.” (...)

Here is a transcript from CBS This Morning: