June 25, 2023

Fox News Has an Interesting New Theory About the Wagner Group and Hunter Biden

“And sure enough, we’ve got the State Department drumming up all the drama that took place over the weekend in Russia.”

Pool /Wagner Group/ZUMA

Fight disinformation: Sign up for the free Mother Jones Daily newsletter and follow the news that matters.

As the international community sorts through the fallout of the short-lived rebellion by Russia’s powerful Wagner Group mercenary force—the most significant challenge to Vladimir Putin’s regime in more than two decades—some are apparently unimpressed by the stunning events.

In fact, according to Fox News’ Maria Bartiromo, the White House and the State Department have collaborated in drumming up “drama” in Russia in order to distract from what Bartiromo has labeled the real story of the week: new allegations surrounding Hunter Biden. Bartiromo told Fox & Friends on Sunday that she had even predicted that such an elaborate deflection scheme would be underway soon:

On Friday, I said, “Wow, what a blockbuster WhatsApp message [sent by Hunter Biden]. I’m sure there will be an enormous story over the weekend that the White House is gonna be pushing to take this story off of the front page.” And sure enough, we’ve got the State Department drumming up all the drama that took place over the weekend in Russia. So I don’t know if it’s gonna break through. The mainstream media has an excuse again not to cover it. They’re covering everything about Russia and the Wagner Group—as if it really matters to the US right now.

This theory is embarrassing, a snapshot of what happens when you’ve deep-fried your brain in a stew of conspiracy theories, outright lies, and Donald Trump’s hideousness for far too long. But it’s not a stretch to think that right-wing lawmakers could soon be pushing the same idea. After all, a sitting US senator appeared to suggest some sort of government-engineered plot to use last week’s submersible disaster to distract from the Hunter case. And that’s just one degree away from what some on the far right are pondering about what’s happening in Russia right now. 

 

LET’S TALK ABOUT OPTIMISM FOR A CHANGE

Democracy and journalism are in crisis mode—and have been for a while. So how about doing something different?

Mother Jones did. We just merged with the Center for Investigative Reporting, bringing the radio show Reveal, the documentary film team CIR Studios, and Mother Jones together as one bigger, bolder investigative journalism nonprofit.

And this is the first time we’re asking you to support the new organization we’re building. In “Less Dreading, More Doing,” we lay it all out for you: why we merged, how we’re stronger together, why we’re optimistic about the work ahead, and why we need to raise the First $500,000 in online donations by June 22.

It won’t be easy. There are many exciting new things to share with you, but spoiler: Wiggle room in our budget is not among them. We can’t afford missing these goals. We need this to be a big one. Falling flat would be utterly devastating right now.

A First $500,000 donation of $500, $50, or $5 would mean the world to us—a signal that you believe in the power of independent investigative reporting like we do. And whether you can pitch in or not, we have a free Strengthen Journalism sticker for you so you can help us spread the word and make the most of this huge moment.

payment methods

LET’S TALK ABOUT OPTIMISM FOR A CHANGE

Democracy and journalism are in crisis mode—and have been for a while. So how about doing something different?

Mother Jones did. We just merged with the Center for Investigative Reporting, bringing the radio show Reveal, the documentary film team CIR Studios, and Mother Jones together as one bigger, bolder investigative journalism nonprofit.

And this is the first time we’re asking you to support the new organization we’re building. In “Less Dreading, More Doing,” we lay it all out for you: why we merged, how we’re stronger together, why we’re optimistic about the work ahead, and why we need to raise the First $500,000 in online donations by June 22.

It won’t be easy. There are many exciting new things to share with you, but spoiler: Wiggle room in our budget is not among them. We can’t afford missing these goals. We need this to be a big one. Falling flat would be utterly devastating right now.

A First $500,000 donation of $500, $50, or $5 would mean the world to us—a signal that you believe in the power of independent investigative reporting like we do. And whether you can pitch in or not, we have a free Strengthen Journalism sticker for you so you can help us spread the word and make the most of this huge moment.

payment methods

We Recommend

Latest

Sign up for our free newsletter

Subscribe to the Mother Jones Daily to have our top stories delivered directly to your inbox.

Get our award-winning magazine

Save big on a full year of investigations, ideas, and insights.

Subscribe

Support our journalism

Help Mother Jones' reporters dig deep with a tax-deductible donation.

Donate