Fox News anchor Julie Banderas continued to speculate on Thursday about who left a baggie of cocaine in the White House, saying she’s “just asking questions” when she openly wonders whether the coke was Hunter Biden’s.
On top of that, the long-time Fox host chastised the “mainstream media” for not joining her in insinuating the illicit drugs might belong to the president’s son, even as she insisted that she’s “not saying” it is actually his.
The Fox anchor’s remarks come as several of her network colleagues have pushed back on the GOP-fueled narrative that the younger Biden, who has openly had a lengthy history of drug addiction, brought the cocaine into the West Wing. For the record, Hunter Biden had last been in the White House on Friday, days before the Secret Service first found the drugs in a “highly trafficked” area of the building.
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Filling in as guest host of The Faulkner Focus, Banderas kicked off Thursday’s broadcast by slamming White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre for noting that the Biden family weren’t at the West Wing when the cocaine was found.
“That’s completely irrelevant,” the Fox host exclaimed. “They were there before it was discovered and after. Hunter Biden was, in fact, at Camp David two weekends in a row with his father. These are legitimate concerns of the American public!”
Fox News contributor and former Republican lawmaker Jason Chaffetz agreed with Banderas, adding that he believes the Secret Service “knows at this point who this person is.”
Calling the entire process “suspicious,” Banderas then used conservative media’s favorite phrase when floating wild accusations. “I mean, we’re just asking questions,” she declared. “But then when you look at all the other networks, for example, all the major broadcast networks last night led with the cocaine found at the White House. Not one broadcast mentioned the name Hunter Biden.”
Of course, Banderas made sure to point out “we’re not saying it is Hunter Biden’s” cocaine, only to immediately reference his past struggles with addiction and heavily implying the coke was indeed his.
“We’re calling it what it is. The president’s son is a former crack cocaine addict and he is supposed to be clean,” she argued. “He was given a slap on the wrist for charges that should have been felony charges. Why? Because he is the president’s son. So, preferential treatment obviously is a very sensitive topic when it comes to his son. And, indeed, cocaine was found in an area in the White House where Hunter Biden has visited.”
Banderas then scolded other media outlets for making light of the story, grumbling that there is “no room for joking about” the topic.
“All the other networks making these stupid jokes about it,” she fumed. “There’s no laughing matter! Crack cocaine addiction is serious and this is a serious drug that was found in our White House!”
While Banderas has followed former President Donald Trump and other Republicans in invoking Hunter Biden alongside the coke found at the White House, several of her colleagues have poured cold water on the theory.
Former Trump White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany, for instance, said on Thursday morning it was “inconceivable” the drugs were left by the president’s son, noting how long Hunter Biden had been gone from the White House.
Fox Business Network anchor Cheryl Casone, meanwhile, blasted gleeful conservatives for their “tasteless” comments linking the cocaine to Hunter Biden, which she said were “not funny” and constituted “cheap shots” taken at a recovering addict.
