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Editor’s Note: A version of this article first appeared in the “Reliable Sources” newsletter. Sign up for the daily digest chronicling the evolving media landscape here.
America’s judicial system is, apparently, not so rigged, after all.
After spending the last three days raging against the courts over Donald Trump’s 34 felony convictions, the right-wing media machine jumped at the opportunity to hype the felony charges being brought against Hunter Biden in a trial that got underway Monday.
Outlets like Fox News — where figures such as Sean Hannity, Laura Ingraham, Jesse Watters and a parade of others have spent weeks bashing the legal system, even going as far as to portray the unanimous jury verdict to be part of a deep-state conspiracy against the disgraced former president — were more than happy to place a bright spotlight on the case facing President Joe Biden’s son.
The cognitive dissonance is remarkable to behold. The same media outlets and figures who have told their audiences that there is a “two-tiered justice system” in America, are now prominently covering a trial in which Biden’s own Justice Department prosecutes his son. If Biden is rigging the justice system, he is doing a lousy job.
The trial offers a timely distraction from the uncomfortable reality of Trump’s felony convictions and marks the culmination of years of right-wing attacks and obsession of the president’s son, offering a regular serving of red meat for Fox News’ prime time audience over claims of wrongdoing and innuendo surrounding the purported “Biden Crime Family.”
To be clear, the unprecedented nature of a president’s own son going on trial for felony charges warrants significant coverage. However, while Trump’s trial was treated as an illegitimate “sham” by the MAGA Media machine, the Hunter Biden trial is being portrayed in a markedly different light. Oddly, the charges brought against President Biden’s son don’t represent “election interference.” Apparently, that’s only a one way street.
While there is not a “two-tiered justice system” in the country, there certainly is a two-tiered set of standards that outlets like Fox News apply to the Democratic Party versus the Republican Party.
Not only are the charges against Hunter Biden being taken very seriously by the same outlets which have spilled untold amounts of ink blasting the courts, but these same outlets are also dishonestly attempting to tie President Biden to the alleged crimes of his son, despite the fact that the GOP has been unable to uncover any evidence establishing such a link. And, suffice to say, it is not like the Republican Party has not tried.
Regardless of what happens in the Hunter Biden trial, however, Trump’s media allies will still undoubtedly claim that the justice system is rigged. If Hunter Biden is acquitted or the jury is hung, the right-wing media machine will use it to further their dishonest narrative that the judicial system is corrupt and only working to target Republicans. But, even if Hunter Biden is found guilty, audiences will be told that he got off easy and should have been hit with more severe charges.
It’s a win-win for MAGA Media, because the space is dominated by outlets and figures who are at their core dishonest, choosing to instead peddle certain narratives for profit and power.
