Megyn Kelly blasted CNN primetime anchor Kaitlan Collins for attacking a Republican lawmaker who signaled her support for an impeachment inquiry against President Biden over his alleged ties to son Hunter’s business dealings.
Kelly accused Collins of losing her “natural sense of inquiry” during an interview with Rep. Nancy Mace (R-SC) on Monday’s broadcast of “The Source.”
“All she did was say, ‘What’s your new evidence? What’s the evidence? There’s nothing new,’” the former NBC and Fox anchor said during Tuesday’s episode of her SiriusXM podcast “The Megyn Kelly Show,”
“What kind of reporter doesn’t say, ‘I see what you’re telling me. There’s smoke and you want to figure out whether there’s fire’?”
Mace told Collins on CNN that she supported an impeachment inquiry launched by the top Republican in the House, Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.), over whether then-Vice President Biden illegally profited from his son Hunter’s overseas business dealings during the Obama administration.
The central allegation pursued by the GOP is that then-VP Biden pushed for the dismissal of a top Ukrainian prosecutor, Viktor Shokin, who was probing Burisma, the Ukrainian energy firm that was paying Hunter Biden for work.
President Biden has denied the allegations.
The Post has sought comment from the White House.
A source familiar with the matter pushed back on Kelly’s commentary, telling The Post: “Megyn misrepresented the interview entirely, with wildly unsubstantiated claims that do not match with the realities of the video of the interview or the transcript that people can read or watch for themselves and see plain as day.”
The transcript of the CNN interview reveals that Collins asked Mace at least a dozen questions related to the planned inquiry.
“There’s been no new evidence that’s been uncovered, or brought forward. So, what is the basis now, for having the impeachment inquiry?” Collins asked Mace.
“Well, I think … there are more people to subpoena, whether that’s Hunter Biden, whether that’s the bookkeeper, whether that’s getting Shokin in to testify,” Mace told Collins.
“There are a lot of witnesses, out there, that saw things that were part of meetings that Joe Biden was a part of, that were part of the transactions that were potentially part of the bribery scheme,” she continued.
“I mean, all that evidence, the American people should be able to have and see.”
Collins then pressed Mace over whether there was a need for an impeachment inquiry given that the Hunter Biden matter is already being probed by a special counsel.
“My understanding is it will give us access to Joe Biden’s bank records,” Mace replied.
“And if we can connect the dots, and show the American people, where the bribery allegation stands, where the money laundering stands, showing … vis-a-vis the bank records, that is a way to do that.”
Mace said the inquiry gives congressional investigators an avenue to get their hands on confidential bank records.
The congresswoman said that “Suspicious Activity Reports that I have seen” justify her support for an inquiry, but she can’t share the information because it’s confidential.
“So, any piece of evidence, right or wrong, I want the American people to see all of it. Whether it backs us up, or does not, the people deserve the truth, and nothing but the truth,” Mace said.
“But isn’t it supposed to be the evidence that leads you to pursue impeachment, an impeachment inquiry?” Collins asked
“Well, that’s what the inquiry is for,” Mace replied.
During her monologue on SiriusXM, Kelly criticized Collins for not following up further on the confidential SAR documents.
“‘You’re trying to tell me that the things you’ve seen — that I’m not allowed to see because they’re confidential — have you deeply alarmed?’” Kelly said, offering a hypothetical question.
“Help us dig to figure out why Nancy Mace, who’s not a fire-breather, is clearly animated about this and 100% wants the inquiry to begin,” Kelly said.
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