A big motivation for media's refusal to cover the Hunter Biden story is that it's being driven by a last-minute oppo dump from the Right. But that would have been avoided if the media had done their job and vetted Biden over the past two years. It was always a legitimate story.

A lot of what's happening now is a result of the refusal to properly vet Biden and subject him to scrutiny and criticism during the Democratic presidential primary, by both the media and even *rival Democratic campaigns.* He was always treated as too big to fail.

Also, in 2019, the Biden-Ukraine story came to be seen by the media and Democratic partisans as the anti-impeachment, pro-Trump line and therefore something to vigorously rebut and dispute. Defending Biden became synonymous with prosecuting the impeachment of Trump.

Biden benefited greatly from Trump turning his Ukraine liability into a partisan impeachment football. Liberals and media all closed ranks around Biden to shut the story down and maintain an anti-Trump front. But that sowed the seeds of the present moment.