CNN host Michael Smerconish pinned down his former boss Jeff Zucker about the network’s “partisan” approach to forgo any coverage about the Hunter Biden laptop scandal that broke in the days leading up to the 2020 Presidential election.

The conversation occurred at the Un-Convention in Philadelphia, an event intended as “an exploration of political reforms to improve our election systems and policy ideas to govern a divided country.”

“I think that the Hunter laptop was worthy of more airing than it received right before the election,’ Smerconish said before asking Zucker and former MSNBC head Phil Griffin if they “regret not dealing with it before the election.”

Zucker defensively replied that they “did deal with it” but blamed  Rudy Guiliani as not being a reliable source for the story.

(Video Credit: Un-Convention 2022)

“In the final two weeks, it was looked at, we did not know enough about it,” Zucker said.

“Part of the issue with that story was, who was delivering the goods,” Zucker said.

Zucker continued by downplaying the story because it involved the “son of a candidate” and not then Presidential candidate Joe Biden, despite the implications of largely intertwined and questionable business dealings between the two.

But audiotapes of conversations released in December 2020 tell a different story about CNN’s stance on “looking into” the Hunter Biden laptop story at the time.

“Obviously we’re not going with the New York Post story right now on Hunter Biden,” a Zucker employee purportedly said according to audio tapes released by James O’Keefe with Project Veritas.

Joe Biden’s as good as gone: CNN’s Stelter says Hunter’s a’real problem’ not just a right-wing story via @BIZPACReview – https://t.co/DxqkUgby7B

— Bo Snerdley (@BoSnerdley) August 8, 2022

At this month’s convention, Smerconish admitted that while he “talked about it extensively” on air, he did not mention it on CNN.

“I think I look bad by not talking about it at all,” Smerconish said. “I should have said something about the damn issue.”

“I think that we looked partisan by not giving it some air,” he concluded.

Zucker concurred, responding to Zucker with, “I don’t disagree with that.”

CNN boss Jeff Zucker STEPS DOWN after failing to disclose romantic dalliance with network executive https://t.co/8qNK5BWQRE

— Conservative News (@BIZPACReview) February 2, 2022

Smerconish also prompted Griffin to respond about the dearth of coverage on what might now be the most famous laptop of all time.

“He was never arrested,” Griffin explained. “The Justice Department was looking into it, never reported it until he is the son of a candidate. I don’t think it’s a main story until that happens.”

Zucker admitted other regrets from his tenure at the network when Smerconish inquired if he regretted “giving Trump as much air as you gave him in 2016?”

“Of course I do,” Zucker responded. “I’ve admitted this publically.”

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