Joe Biden’s White House Counsel has responded to the now infamous WhatsApp message that allegedly placed the president in the room while Hunter Biden shook down Chinese officials.

As RedState reported, within 10 days of that exchange, $5.1 million was wired to Hunter Biden, of which some portion of money was then sent to James Biden, the president’s brother. Congressional investigators are still working to track down just how much deeper the money went.

When pressed on the matter, the White House comms shop refused to answer any questions. Chaos broke out in the briefing room as reporters tag-teamed to keep asking Karine Jean-Pierre whether Biden was actually in the room or not. Repeatedly, the press secretary referred the press corps to the White House Counsel’s office, who she insisted had already answered the question.

So what was that answer? It involves picking up the goalposts surrounding Joe Biden’s past statements on his son’s business dealings and throwing them off a cliff.

NEW from @IanSams46 , spox for the WH Counsels office, in light of whistleblower allegations:

SAMS: “As we have said many times before, the President was not in business with his son.” pic.twitter.com/24neXk4JZf

— Jacqui Heinrich (@JacquiHeinrich) June 23, 2023

“The President was not in business with his son” is a huge walk down from former claims by Joe Biden that he had never even discussed with his son any business dealings. It’s also a very coyly-worded statement that seeks to provide an out when the current scandal inevitably grows larger.

For context, here’s what the president said in 2020 while running against Donald Trump.

BIDEN: I have never discussed with my son or my brother or anyone else, anything having to do with their businesses, period.

(second clip plays)

BIDEN: I’ve never spoken to my son about his overseas business dealings.

The sudden new description that Joe Biden wasn’t “in business” with his son is no accident and is, in my view, purposely worded to obscure what the real issue is. No one has ever accused him of being “in business” with his son. Rather, the accusation centers on whether money from his son’s corrupt dealings got funneled back to the current president. That’s the whole enchilada in this situation and what congressional investigators are digging into at this very moment.

Without making a definitive statement (because I can’t know for certain yet), it sure looks like Biden simply lied about his knowledge of his son’s business dealings, and he and his counsel are now trying to shift the standard to provide an out. Why else use that phraseology when past denials have been far more pointed?

Things are unraveling quickly for the Biden family, and when even the White House press corps isn’t covering for them anymore, you know things have escalated. I don’t know where this leads, but I know this is just the beginning. There’s so much more for investigators to untangle and discover, and Republicans in Congress seem bound and determined to see this through. Whether the leadership at the DOJ gains a sense of shame and actually does their job is another matter. On that, don’t hold your breath.