The White House is facing questions about the “evolution” of the answers to questions about President Joe Biden’s alleged involvement in his son’s business deals.
On Thursday, CNN’s Phil Mattingly asked White House spokesman Ian Sams about a comment Hunter Biden made regarding allegations his father was involved in his business dealings.
“Yesterday, he said, ‘Let me say as clearly as I can, my father was not financially involved in my business.’ He was unequivocal about that,” Mattingly said.
However, he went on, “That is an evolution of where the president had been during the campaign, where the White House had been at the start of the administration. Not involved financially in the business is very different than never talked about the business.”
“Was that an intentional point of clarity?” he asked.
CNN's Phil Mattingly: "It was said explicitly the president did not talk to his son about business dealings! That is very clearly NOT the case … it is a FACT that the president said one thing that ended up being not true!"
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) December 14, 2023
Biden spokesman Ian Sams: "I dispute that that's true" pic.twitter.com/TWmflWiW55
Sams said he disputes the “whole premise of that question” and claimed it was “one of Jim Jordan’s favorite little shiny objects,” which he said is to “take a semantic thing and make an argument that is somehow far afield from what they’re actually focused on.”
“We’ve been extremely clear over and over again for years and nothing has changed: The president was in business with his son, period. They’re trying to make up all sorts of allegations…” he continued.
However, Mattingly interjected to note he was not citing Congressional Republicans, saying, “I was in some of the White House press briefings where it was said explicitly the president did not talk to his son about business dealings. That is very clearly not the case.”
“And I think the statement from the White House has changed… over the course of the last several months,” he added.
Mattingly stressed he was not alleging there is an “impeachable offense or some grand indictment,” however, he added, “It is a fact that the president said one thing that ended up being not true.”
During the 2020 election, Joe Biden insisted he did not speak to his son about his foreign business dealings.
However, one of Hunter Biden’s business partners told lawmakers the then-vice president spoke to his son’s associates, but said he did not talk about business.
Meanwhile, the House Ways and Means Committee released emails purporting to show Joe Biden communicating with his son’s associates with a fake name.
On Wednesday, Hunter Biden defied subpoenas to be deposed in Republicans’ impeachment inquiry into his father. Speaking outside the Capitol, he denied the president was “financially involved” in his business dealings.
And conservatives have focused on the use of the word “financially” to question if Joe Biden was involved in other ways.
