Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer claimed Friday that President Joe Biden is being "transparent" about his retention of class...
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer claimed Friday that President Joe Biden is being "transparent" about his retention of classified documents.
But CNN anchors Don Lemon and Poppy Harlow challenged his assertion.
What happened?
At the beginning of his interview on "CNN This Morning," Schumer praised Biden for "correctly" handling the situation, which he called a "total contrast" compared to how former President Donald Trump handled retaining classified documents.
Lemon quickly pressed Schumer on his perspective.
"Just to be sure about what you said: Do you believe the Biden folks are being transparent about this?" he asked.
"I think the Biden folks, as I said, cooperated with the prosecutorial authorities from day one, and Donald Trump didn't," Schumer responded, contradicting his earlier claim that his perspective has been "consistent."
Lemon responded by fact-checking Schumer's assertion, explaining why Attorney General Merrick Garland appointed a special counsel to investigate the situation with Biden — precisely because his team has not been transparent.
"This is our reporting: According to one justice official, said that the White House public statements earlier this week offered an incomplete narrative about the classified documents from Biden's time as vice president reinforced the need for special counsel," Lemon explained. "The misleading statements created the impression that Biden's team has something to hide.
"That doesn't sound that much different than the former president," he noted.
Schumer: Biden handling of classified docs is 'complete contrast' to Trumpwww.youtube.com
When Schumer tried to ignore the point and defer to the special counsel, Lemon pressed even further.
"Senator, I have to say this. You seem much more measured about this than with the Trump documents because you called for transparency with the Trump documents," the anchor said. "You wanted lawmakers to have access to the documents seized from the former president, his residence in Florida, which it seems like you—"
Schumer then interjected to reiterate his claim of consistency, claiming we should wait for the special counsel to investigate while, at the same time, defending Biden and slamming Trump.
Next, Harlow attempted to ask Schumer about the White House's clear lack of transparency. But before she could complete her question, an irritated Schumer interrupted her.
"Bottom line is the prosecutors will get to the bottom of this, and let's let them do it for God's sake," he exclaimed. "I know you want to buzz around and all of that, but the bottom line is—"
"Hold on, it's not just us buzzing!" Lemon interjected, defending his colleague. "You're the Democratic head of the Senate. This is a really important issue. It's not just us buzzing around."
When Harlow finally asked her question, Schumer ignored it and once again deferred to the special counsel's investigation.
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