Conservative media figures defend Trump for openly calling on Ukraine and China to investigate Joe Biden

Conservative media figures rallied to President Donald Trump’s defense after he openly called on foreign countries to investigate Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden during a White House press gaggle today.

Trump has been facing an impeachment inquiry since September 24 over reports that he pushed Ukraine’s president during a phone call to cooperate in his team’s effort to smear the former vice president. Trump initially reacted to the impeachment inquiry by falsely labeling it a “coup” and echoing a warning of civil war should he be successfully removed from office.

But during a press gaggle outside the White House Thursday, Trump responded to a reporter’s question about what he specifically wanted from Ukraine by saying, “If they were honest about it, they'd start a major investigation into Bidens. It's a very simple answer. ... And by the way, likewise, China should start an investigation into the Bidens because what happened in China is just about as bad as Ukraine.”

While actual journalists and other people with a firm grasp on reality pointed out that Trump had just committed an impeachable offense in public, some conservative media figures leapt to his defense. These defenses included supporting his call for an investigation, denying there was anything wrong with asking a foreign power to investigate a political opponent, praising his supposed ability to change the subject, and applauding him for “doubling down” on an act that led to the impeachment inquiry in the first place.

Newmax TV’s John Cardillo: “Good. It needs to be done.”

Fox Business host Stuart Varney: “As if there’s something wrong with that. Is there something [wrong]? I’m not sure there is. But it looks like there’s something wrong when you read The New York Times.”

From the October 3 edition of Fox Business' Varney & Co.

STUART VARNEY (HOST): I just want to read the audience a quick headline from The New York Times. Bear with me, please. As you may know, President Trump earlier today urged China to investigate the Bidens. The headline in The New York Times reads, “Trump publicly urges China to investigate the Bidens.” As if there's something wrong with that. Is there something [wrong]? I'm not sure there is. But it looks like there's something wrong when you read The New York Times, of course.

Conservative radio host Rush Limbaugh: “This is the reason you love Trump. … This president, the point is, will not be intimidated. Whatever it is that upsets them, he doubles down on it and gives them another dose of it while telling the truth.”

Rush Limbaugh praises Trump for asking Ukraine and China to investigate Biden

October 3, 2019

From the October 3 edition of Premiere Radio Networks' The Rush Limbaugh Show

RUSH LIMBAUGH (HOST): Something else happened today. This is the reason you love Trump. During that press gaggle when he’s on the way to Marine One, the helicopter, to catch a plane to head down to The Villages here in Florida, he said, “You know, it’s not just Ukraine. The Chinese should be looking into Joe Biden too. I mean, there’s a billion and a half dollars of funny money there. The Chinese government ought to be looking into the Bidens.” Of course, the Washington media and everybody’s going, “Grab me the vapors. Oh, my God. Oh, my God.” And now the headlines are that Trump is recruiting the Chinese. Trump is so bad, he asked the Ukrainians to do his dirty work, and that’s not enough. Now he’s asking the Chicoms to do his dirty work.

This president, the point is, will not be intimidated. Whatever it is that upsets them, he doubles down on it, and gives them another dose of it while telling the truth.

Fox host Melissa Francis: “It is so like the president to double down. … To me, [China] is a much more straightforward story because here you have [Biden’s] son picking up [$]1.5 billion in private equity investment with no private equity experience.”

From the October 3 edition of Fox News' Outnumbered

MELISSA FRANCIS (CO-HOST): It is so like the president to double down, and rather than cowering to the charge that he was asking a foreign government to investigate his political rival, instead his response is, “No, we should be investigating corruption in other countries that potentially involves U.S. officials. And by the way, China is another spot.” And to me, that’s a much more straightforward story, because here you have his son picking up [$]1.5 billion in private equity investment with no private equity experience.

Fox News Politics Editor Chris Stirewalt: “The president is a very effective wood chipper. He can take any situation, he can put the raw material in, and then he can just spray it out, right? He can spray, he can cover the press corps over. ‘Well, why don't you look at this, why don’t you look at that?’”

From the October 3 edition of Fox News' Outnumbered Overtime

HARRIS FAULKNER (ANCHOR): What do you make of the president now adding to the list, urging China along with Ukraine to investigate the Bidens?

CHRIS STIREWALT (FOX NEWS POLITICS EDITOR): The president is a very effective wood chipper. He can take any situation, he can put the raw material in, and then he can just spray it out, right? He can spray, he can cover the press corps over. "Well, why don't you look at this, and why don’t you look at that?" The other advantage that he has is – yeah, he is overly broad in terms of factual consistency, not his highest concern. His highest concern is making sure that every reporter who’s standing out there feels obliged to go back and say, "OK, what about Hunter Biden and China? OK, what did Joe Biden really do in Ukraine?" And really dig into this. He is trying to create a counternarrative to the one that Democrats successfully have going. So this is his counternarrative, which is he's actually a corruption fighter. He's not corrupt, he is fighting corruption. And that's the one that works for him, and that's a very effective way to get to -- let loose a rabbit to let the press corps go running off after something else.

Wall Street Journal Editor at Large Gerard Baker: “It’s classic Donald Trump. … When everybody -- when the Democrats, and his opponents, and the media are clutching their pearls about, you know, some new outrage and they think, Wow, this is the end now, surely he’s in trouble -- he just doubles down.”

From the October 3 edition of Fox News' America's Newsroom

SANDRA SMITH (CO-ANCHOR): First, react to what we just heard from President Trump a few moments ago. Investigate – he’s calling on China to investigate the Bidens, Ukraine to investigate the Bidens. Your thoughts?

GERARD BAKER (WSJ EDITOR AT LARGE): I mean, it’s classic Donald Trump. He doubles down, right? When everybody -- when the Democrats, and his opponents, and the media are clutching their pearls about, you know, some new outrage and they think, Wow, this is the end now, surely he’s in trouble -- he just doubles down. So he says, far from being ashamed or sorry for asking President Zelensky of Ukraine to investigate the Bidens, he’s saying, yeah they should investigate [the] Bidens, and China and other countries should too. I think the significance of this is that he -- it does suggest that he feels on pretty strong ground on this topic. That far from this being an abuse of power, as the Democrats would say, to get a foreign government to investigate a domestic political opponent, he feels that there is some really suspicious, questionable stuff that Hunter Biden has done in his various roles around the world, and he thinks it’s absolutely legitimate to ask foreign countries to investigate.

Pro-Trump blogger Jim Hoft: “TRUMP DEFIES MOB.”

The Democrat-Media Complex is currently trying to convince Americans that President Donald Trump should be impeached for discussing the Biden Crime family with the President of Ukraine in a July phone call.

…

President Trump today blew another hole in the Democrat-media complex.

Trump told reporters on Thursday morning that Ukraine and China should both investigate the corrupt Biden family.

President Trump: “I would recommend that they start an investigation into the Bidens.”

This ought to shake up the media for the next 24 hours.

Heritage Foundation senior legal fellow John Malcolm: “The president always doubles down. … It is certainly not a discredited conspiracy theory. And whether China and Ukraine will look into [the Bidens], we'll see.”

From the October 3 edition of Fox News' America's Newsroom

JOHN MALCOLM (HERITAGE FOUNDATION SENIOR LEGAL FELLOW): Your last guest said that while the Democrats are clutching their pearls, the president doubles down. And I think that’s right, the president always doubles down. So the Biden campaign is running around saying that this is -- specifically talking about Ukraine -- a discredited conspiracy theory. You know, a lot of the public isn't buying it. So Vice President Biden was on videotape bragging about the fact that he threatened to withhold a billion dollars in military assistance from the Ukraine unless and until Viktor Shokin, the lead prosecutor, was fired. He was.

…

It is certainly not a discredited conspiracy theory. And whether China and Ukraine will look into it, we'll see.

Pro-Trump conspiracy theorist Alex Jones: “45 Drops The Hammer: Trump Moves to Expose China’s Ownership of Clinton, Biden & Obama.”

Conservative media figures defend Trump for openly calling on Ukraine and China to investigate a political opponent

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