What did the president know, and when did he know it?
That is the famous question posed by Tennessee GOP Sen. Howard Baker that led to the downfall of fellow Republican President Richard Nixon 50 years ago over Nixon’s coverup of the Watergate break in.
Less than a month after Baker posed his dramatic question to John Dean, Nixon’s fired White House counsel, at a committee hearing probing the break in of the Democrat Party headquarters, then all hell broke out. Dean revealed all and Nixon was toast.
Facing impeachment by the House and conviction by the Senate on conspiracy and corruption charges, Nixon resigned. But the question lingers.
It now is a question that House Republicans, led by Speaker Kevin McCarthy, would like to ask Hunter Biden, President Joe Biden’s reckless son — the country’s oldest juvenile delinquent — before an impeachment inquiry hearing.
McCarthy raised the impeachment issue amid mounting House committee testimony that appears to tie Joe Biden directly to Hunter Biden’s brazen influence peddling deals with politicians in Ukraine, China, Russia, Romania and elsewhere.
Joe Biden, despite evidence to the contrary, has repeatedly stated that he had no knowledge of Hunter’s business dealings, nor has he ever talked to him about his business.
While Biden has stuck to that story, the White House last week added a slight change, while insisting it was not. It came when White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said Joe Biden was never “in” business with Hunter Biden.
Nobody has accused Joe Biden of being “in” business with Hunter Biden, only that he benefited from his business dealings. Besides, Hunter Biden has no businesses outside of the business of using Joe Biden’s name and political position to shake down foreign countries.
But you can’t blame the press secretary. It appears that she does not even talk to the president but is simply instructed what to say as stupid and nonsensical her remarks at times seem.
Should Hunter Biden be dragged before an inquiry committee, the questions asked under oath would go something like this: “Mr. Biden, did you ever discuss your business dealings with your father? What did the president know and when did he know it?”
Or: “Who is the ‘Big Guy’ who was in for a 10% cut of the money you were bringing in from China?”
Should Hunter Biden reveal all, Biden would be toast, too.
The alternative would be for Hunter to take the fall for the Big Guy. But that is unlikely to happen.
Hunter Biden did not have the character or the decency to recognize Navy Joan Roberts, the 4-year-old daughter he had with Washington dancer Lunden Roberts, let alone the nerve to take the fall for his father.
Joe Biden finally granted her recognition as his granddaughter on Friday. Still, Navy Joan Roberts, cannot even use the Biden name which, at this point, could be a blessing.
So, they could go down together, especially after the testimony of Devon Archer, Hunter Biden’s former business partner, ties the Bidens together in their alleged foreign influence shakedown scheme. Archer is expected to testify before Congress today.
The collapse of Hunter Biden’s sweetheart plea deal agreement on tax and drug charges before U.S. District Court Judge Maryellen Noreika last week could be an indication of things to come for the Bidens.
The deal — or fix — that would have had Biden walk away from two tax felonies, knocked down to misdemeanors, and an illegal gun charge — also would have granted Biden insulation from other matters still under investigation, like Biden’s alleged violations of the strict Foreign Agents Registration Act.
Average Americans without political pull are routinely sent to prison on lesser charges.
Hunter Biden, meanwhile, is whisked to and from court in a convoy of sleek black SUVs accompanied by a team of Secret Service agents.
But the judge refused to go along with the fix — at least for now.
Maybe for the Bidens the buck, or the fix, stops here.
What did the president know, and when did he know it?
Peter Lucas is a veteran Massachusetts political reporter and columnist.