Welcome to the online version of From the Political Bureauan evening newsletter featuring the latest reporting and analysis from the NBC News Politics team from the campaign trail, the White House and Capitol Hill.
In today’s edition, White House Correspondent Mike Memoli examines the defiant tone the Biden family has taken following Hunter’s conviction. In addition, chief political analyst Chuck Todd investigates what recently released secret recordings reveal about Supreme Court Justice John Roberts.
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What comes next for the Bidens after Hunter’s verdict?
By Mike Memoli
After being convicted of three gun crimes, Hunter Biden promised to “keep moving forward.” President Joe Biden was still coming to terms with the legal setback hours later when he praised gun safety advocates for turning their “pain” into “purpose.” And first lady Jill Biden, who cleared her schedule largely to be with Hunter during the trial, is now about to embark on an extensive campaign in five states.
The personal and political toll of Hunter Biden’s legal battle may not be immediately apparent, but the tone he and his parents are trying to set after the trial seems clear. As the president likes to quote his father, “When you get knocked down, you gotta get back up.”
It’s a defiant attitude that people close to the family say is both intentional and familiar to them, having experienced even greater setbacks in the past.
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Biden’s own campaign quickly made clear Wednesday that Hunter’s conviction will not stop it from attacking former President Donald Trump for his. A press release noted that while Biden traveled to Italy for the G7 summit and his campaign hosted events around the country, Trump had nothing on his public agenda.
Jill Biden joined her husband on part of the trip to France last week, shuttling back and forth to Delaware twice to attend Hunter’s trial. The Biden campaign had suspended its schedule during the trial, but its advisers laid out plans Tuesday afternoon for one of its busiest campaign shifts yet. She will make at least five stops in three days in the battleground states of Wisconsin, Minnesota, Nevada and Arizona, while also raising money in California.
Perhaps the biggest test of how the Bidens emerge from the trial will come in two weeks during the first presidential debate. The campaign is bracing for the possibility that Trump will look to personalize the June 27 confrontation, hoping to upset Biden by invoking his son. But advisers note that the tactic appeared to backfire four years ago when Trump tried to bring up Hunter Biden’s business dealings.
Read more about Bidens’ defiant stance →
Yet, as we also reported today: The path forward for the Bidens can only get tougher – personally, politically and legally.
The president’s aides are already eagerly awaiting Hunter Biden’s September trial in California on tax evasion charges. While the gun charges trial exposed humiliating, personal family dynamics and history, the second trial could reveal potentially controversial information about Hunter Biden’s business dealings, which Republicans have long tried to pin on his father without evidence to link.
Read more about the Bidens’ next challenges →
John Roberts, America’s leading swing voter?
By Chuck Todd
It’s so rare these days for people in positions of power to put country before themselves, so when it happens, we have to reflect on the moment.
The secret recordings of Judge Samuel Alito and Chief Justice John Roberts, who spoke to a progressive activist posing as a religious conservative at a Supreme Court Historical Society event, offer quite a contrast in how each sees his role on the court. And while many focus on Alito, not enough attention is paid to the chief justice’s comments.
Whatever you think of Alito as a judge or as a conservative, it seems he is more comfortable expressing his ideology (in this case expressing agreement with his undercover questioner) and using his position to to push his views without necessarily being open. spirit he claimed to have during his 2006 confirmation hearing.
The true test of character in any position of authority is whether you are the same person when the spotlight is on as you are when the spotlight is off. Roberts showed us that at his core, he takes his job and the responsibilities that come with it quite seriously, regardless of when he might be tested. He meets the moment.
You don’t have to agree with every opinion Roberts writes or signs, but it’s nice to know that he’s aware of his role and is truly committed to the job he’s running for: upholding and interpreting the Constitution the best way. of his capabilities.
What I will be watching with interest in the coming days and weeks is how liberals and conservatives respond not to Alito’s comments, but to Roberts’. Is there universal respect for the way Roberts sees the role of the Supreme Court, or are activists frustrated because Roberts refuses to send a virtue signal to the left or the right?
Ultimately, we learned very little new about Alito in these recordings, but we did learn something about Roberts. The inclusion should serve as reassurance that the person leading the country’s third branch of government has the long vision for the republic that the founders hoped the people would adopt once they accepted the weight of their responsibilities.
Read more from Chuck →
That’s all from The Politics Desk for now. If you have any feedback – like it or not – please email us at politicsnieuwsbrief@nbcuni.com
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This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
