With the conclusion of the first year of the Biden Administration, White House Chief of Staff Ron Klain sought to end on a high, or at least higher, note by retweeting a column saying that 2021 was not “all bad.” It was like bragging that a first date told you that the evening could have been worse. However, what really stood out in the column by Albert Hunt was the key rationale: the first year was “scandal free.” Calling 2021 “scandal free” is not merely an example of blinkered commentary, it is an exercise of willful blindness. This is why magicians often make audience members part of the illusion. Houdini did not actually make his 10,000 pound elephant Jennie disappear. It was there the whole time but the audience did not want to see it. That’s the trick.
At his inauguration, President Biden promised the return of good government and newspapers like the Washington Post heralded the end to Trump’s “scandal-plagued single term.” Now, at the end of the first year, readers are being asked to “think back four years ago: The Trump administration looked more like ‘The Godfather’ — without the skill.”
There is ample reason for the White House and many in the media to celebrate the lack of scandals in the Biden Administration because it was a collective effort.
Of course, four years ago, the media was all-in on the Russian collusion allegations. The media was doing non-stop coverage of the Steele dossier with little scrutiny or effort to uncover those who funded it. The dossier was later discredited and American intelligence warned that Russian intelligence may have used it to plant disinformation. While the Clinton campaign repeatedly denied funding the dossier, it was revealed (after the election) that not only did the Clinton campaign fund and push the dossier but also allegedly lied to Congress, the media, and the FBI. Clinton campaign chair John Podesta allegedly denied such funding to congressional staff. According to reports, sitting next to him was Clinton attorney Marc Elias (who was later found to have funded the dossier through the Clinton campaign’s legal account).
The only thing more impressive than the relentless coverage of Trump scandals in 2017 was the relentless avoidance of Biden scandals in 2020. The media did give passing coverage to the host of Biden false claims and stories that range from saying that he was “arrested trying to see Nelson Mandela” to his evolving Amtrak claims to reinventing his positions on foreign wars like Afghanistan. There were also federal violations by Biden officials and allegations of improper presidential influence on pending investigations. However, when it came to scandals that could implicate the President in more serious misconduct (or contradict his past denials), the media was thoroughly uninterested.
-- Jonathan Turley, "'A Scandal Free Biden Administration': The Media Celebrates a Year of Free From Political Scandal and Press Scrutiny" (JONATHANTURLEY.ORG).
