A week or two ago I wrote about the “limited hangout” strategy of dealing with a crisis. It is a strategy used by intelligence agencies that have been caught doing something illegal and/or embarrassing, made famous during the Watergate scandal.

Basically, you make a small admission to hide a much larger scandal–make it seem like you are coming clean while still hiding the bigger scandal.

That is the new Democrat strategy dealing with the Hunter Biden influence-peddling scandal.

It is no longer possible to maintain that Joe Biden never spoke to Hunter about his business dealings nor that he did nothing to further them. The evidence is too voluminous, to the point of being irrefutable. So the Democrats don’t even try anymore.

How CNN is covering Devon Archer's testimony: After running Dan Goldman's remarks, CNN cites a "source" who says Archer said Hunter Biden was selling the "illusion" of having access to Joe Biden.

"Really a stunning development…apparently business was never discussed." pic.twitter.com/dxilCbrvSB

— Julio Rosas (@Julio_Rosas11) July 31, 2023

The new line: “Sure, he talked with Hunter about business and even met with Hunter’s clients, but it was all a scam perpetrated by Hunter to convince his clients he had influence when it was all an illusion.”

“The illusion of influence” is now a thing. I guess committing fraud is better than influence peddling.

The spin is in! Hunter Biden was just selling the “illusion” of access. Joe Biden had no idea who was on the phone or at the dinners and anyway he just talked about the weather and is guilty of nothing but being a loving father and didn’t you know he phones his family every day pic.twitter.com/BYyYMkEPST

— Miranda Devine (@mirandadevine) August 1, 2023

The term “illusion of access” is now everywhere, going from 0 to hyperspeed in one day. Pretty much every media outlet has seized (pounced?) on this limited hangout explanation for the fact that Sleepy Joe seemed to have a fetish for meeting with and speaking on the phone to Hunter’s marks.

Nobody seems to admit that if Hunter was selling an “illusion” he was committing an outright fraud, but who cares anyway? Joe loves his son and would do anything for him, and that is super-duper admirable and we should love him more for being such a great dad (and granddad!).

The fact that Joe was connected to Burisma through his son and used his power as VP to get a prosecutor investigating Burisma fired was pure coincidence, yet another illusion. That millions of dollars flowed from Burisma to the Biden family, too, is illusory. As are those Suspicious Activity Reports.

Hunter Biden is a con man, not a conduit to Biden’s selling out America.

Good thing Joe Biden loves his son, I guess.

FLASHBACK: Biden bragged about getting the prosecutor in charge of investigating Burisma fired.

Just the “illusion” of influence, eh? pic.twitter.com/L4eaxJA1fl

— The Post Millennial (@TPostMillennial) July 31, 2023

President Biden met with and spoke to his son Hunter’s international business associates on a number of occasions over a decade as Hunter Biden sought to drum up consulting deals, including while his father was vice president, his former business partner told Congress on Monday.

However, in nearly five hours of closed-door testimony to the House Oversight Committee, Devon Archer, the former partner, asserted that the elder Mr. Biden was not party to any of his son’s business deals and that Hunter Biden had tried to sell the illusion that he was providing access to his powerful father when he was not, according to Democrats on the panel.

Mr. Archer’s testimony, which he provided in response to a subpoena, was the latest bit of evidence in an investigation by House Republicans into Hunter Biden’s business dealings and conduct. Republicans have claimed repeatedly — and so far without proof — that the investigations implicate the president in corruption and crimes.

The New York Times shared a Pulitzer Prize for pushing a completely fraudulent narrative about Russiagate and the Steele Dossier, but somehow don’t see a shred of evidence that Biden is anything but squeaky clean.

Yep. It is all an illusion.

Ha ha ha. “The illusion of access.” The NYT never ceases to amuse. That smell in your nostrils is not the illusion of bullshit. It’s the real thing. pic.twitter.com/7MRMBMrpHa

— Mike (@Doranimated) August 1, 2023

They somehow even fail to note that for 6 years or more Joe Biden has maintained exactly the opposite of what is now conclusively proven and now reported in the Times. Until a few minutes ago Joe Biden knew nothing and said nothing to Hunter’s compatriots. Suddenly, it was completely normal, even common.

More illusions.

🚨Vice President Joe Biden meeting Hunter Biden's foreign business partners, providing them with the "illusion of access."

November 2010: Joe Biden had a sit-down meeting with Eric Schwerin – the president of Hunter's private equity firm – in the West Wing.

November 2011: Joe… pic.twitter.com/MpQcUdzcBV

— KanekoaTheGreat (@KanekoaTheGreat) July 31, 2023

Earlier today I wrote a VIP column (sign up for VIP using the code SAVEAMERICA for a 40% discount!) asking if Democrats will have a breaking point, and the jury is still out. Clearly, the limited hangout is their current strategy, and everybody is hoping that the MSM pounding the table and screaming “illusion” will work.

New reaction: Former Hunter Biden business partner, Devon Archer, gave details about calls between President Biden and his son as he testified to the GOP-led House Oversight Committee about his business dealings with the younger Biden. pic.twitter.com/kRhfmfvL0z

— Catherine Herridge (@CBS_Herridge) August 1, 2023

It all depends upon the tolerance of Independent voters for being bullsh!tted. So far that tolerance is high, but you may recall that Nixon remained popular well into Watergate, and that was a tiny scandal compared to this one. OTOH, the media hated Nixon, while they are determined to save Biden and the Democrats.

Will any of this make a difference? Only if cracks develop in the propaganda machine. People who dismiss anything a Republican says will keep on dismissing this as a big nothing. But if any MSM reporters outside of Fox start actually doing a bit of journalism cracks will develop in the information dam, and it is possible that the whole thing breaks.

I doubt it will, but have hope. It will only take one or two well-regarded reporters to break with the crowd. I just don’t know if that is possible in today’s environment.

Stay tuned.