An ousted veteran CBS reporter has written a lengthy expose claiming to reveal details about how the network squashed a Hunter Biden story.
Writing on her newsletter, Catherine Herridge described the broadcaster’s investigation into the laptop as a “missed opportunity for CBS News,” suggesting the broadcaster failed to properly report her findings.
Herridge said she told company executives the laptop contained material about “a million-dollar retainer from a Chinese energy firm” along with Hunter’s business texts and emails in early October 2020.
But later that month, during a 60 Minutes interview with then-President Trump, correspondent Lesley Stahl said the laptop “couldn’t be verified,” according to Herridge. “As I watched the broadcast, I felt sick,” she wrote.
It comes after two IRS whistleblowers sat down with Herridge for an interview and told her they were banned from investigating Joe Biden amid the government’s probe into his son.
Now, Herridge is suggesting that CBS failed to properly report on what she found on the laptop.
“I had been tasked with vetting the laptop and its contents after multiple platforms had suppressed the story,” Herridge wrote, adding that she was commissioned by CBS News executive Ingrid Ciprian-Matthews for “confirmed reporting” on Hunter Biden for Evening News anchor Norah O’Donnell in October 2020.
“Due diligence included working the phones, reaching out to people on the Hunter Biden emails for corroboration and cross-referencing court records.”
“The vetted documents I collected also indicated the laptop belonged to Hunter Biden.”
“I told Ciprian-Matthews the vetted materials included a million-dollar retainer from a Chinese energy firm, emails with Hunter Biden’s former business partner Tony Bobulinski as well as Hunter Biden text messages.”
“Asked by Ciprian-Matthews if there was a ‘Hunter connection,’ I responded, ‘Yes, all of them.’”
“I then provided some of the vetted records directly to Ciprian-Matthews. We did speak briefly on the phone. I don’t know at this point what happened next.”
“Based on my reporting, and as the network’s senior investigative correspondent, the CBS News investigative unit was not tasked in October 2020 to develop more reporting on the laptop. That would have been standard practice.”
Herridge said that a 60 Minutes interview with then-President Trump later that month made her “feel sick” as CBS anchors told him the laptop “can’t be verified.”
“I knew the laptop records could be vetted and confirmed,” she said. “I was confused by what seemed a disconnect between the CBS News division and 60 Minutes.”
“It took an additional two years for the network to broadcast a forensic review of the Hunter Biden laptop data.”
“I advocated for the report which determined that both the data belonged to Hunter Biden and it had not been tampered with.”
“Our report was broadcast in November 2022, after the midterm elections.”
