M.L. Nestel joined Raw Story in 2023. An award-winning writer and editor, his work has been published in New York Magazine, Los Angeles Magazine and The Guardian, among other titles. He also produces and writes for true-crime genre TV shows. Prior to that, he served on the Newsweek masthead as a senior writer, wrote as a correspondent at ABC News and held the titles of West Coast bureau chief and senior writer at The Daily Beast. Priors also include working as senior national correspondent at The Daily Mail and investigative reporter at all three NYC tabloids: The New York Post,The New York Daily News and Newsday. He traveled around the country as a national correspondent at The Daily. M.L. published hundreds of stories about underground music and cinema — most notably as a critic for Box Office Magazine and the New York editor at Soma Magazine. He also headed development at Fountainhead Films. M.L. splits his time between Los Angeles and New York.
A CNN commentator challenged Republicans to bring whatever goods they have on Joe Biden.
Jamal Simmons, who served as Deputy Assistant to President Joe Biden and Communications Director to Vice President Kamala Harris, made the claim as part of a panel discussing the president's recent promise that he wouldn't pardon his son Hunter, who is on trial in a Delaware federal court for lying to a licensed gun dealer, lying about not being addicted to drugs when he applied for a gun carry license, and illegally possessing a pistol.
She attempted to summarize the alleged fiscal ties between Hunter and his father.
Last December the GOP-led House voted to open an impeachment inquiry into Biden. So far, there hasn't been any concrete evidence to prove connective tissue between the president and his son's business activities.
"He's accused of tax evasion and the money on which he failed to pay taxes came from foreign sources and is linked to influence buying," she said. "In other words: divide the influence of his father and they can actually track the payments to various Biden members, including payments for Joe Biden's mortgage payments."
CNN's Abby Phillips tried to fact-check in real-time.
"But just to be clear, there's actually not any evidence linking any of Hunter Biden's wrongdoings," she said.
"You are incorrect. You are incorrect," countered McCaughey. "We have statements. They've been presented in the House of Representatives."
Simmons then jumped in.
"You mean because he paid back a loan for a car," he asked.
"No, because he routinely paid for Joe Biden's household bills," she shot back.
Again Phillip tried to keep the discussion focused on facts and not innuendo.
"Again, if Republicans had that evidence that you are suggesting—" Phillip began.
McCaughey cut in: "They do."
Phillip then finished her sentence, adding, "...they would have impeached him by now and they haven't."
McCaughey tried to get the last word.
"I want the audience to know that they do have it," she stated.
And that's when Simmons dared them to bring it forward, laughing, "Then they should use it. If they got it, smoke it."
