Sunday shows preview: Biden special counsel report draws scrutiny; Ukraine, Israel aid in limbo

Special counsel Robert Hur released a 388-page report this week detailing his findings of a roughly yearlong investigation into President Biden’s classified documents case, which will likely be a focus of this week’s Sunday talk shows.

The Senate moved closer to passing a foreign aid package after its bipartisan border deal failed earlier this week, which will also likely be part of the conversation.

In his report, Hur said Biden “willfully” retained the documents, but did not bring forth any charges. Biden angrily defended himself in a press conference, which drew criticism, after the report characterized the president as an “elderly man with a poor memory.”

As Biden gears up his reelection efforts, his age and mental competency have been a large focus of media attention and political debate.

GOP Presidential candidate Nikki Haley, who will appear on CBS’ “Face the Nation,” called Hur’s report “unbelievably disturbing,” as she continues to push for both Biden and former President Trump, the GOP front-runner, to take competency tests.

Haley will also likely speak about her campaign efforts in her home state of South Carolina, as she faces off in another tough contest against Trump in the state’s Feb. 24 primary.

Bob Bauer, Biden’s personal counsel, will make an appearance on CBS’ “Face the Nation,” where he will likely dive into Hur’s report and what it means. In a statement this week, Bauer slammed the parts of the final report that he argued goes against Department of Justice norms.

Mitch Landrieu, a former senior aide for the Biden administration who now serves on his reelection campaign, is set to appear on NBC’s “Meet the Press.” He will likely be questioned on Biden’s efforts to campaign against Trump and what that will look like as questions about the 81-year-old’s capabilities cloud his campaign.

Meanwhile, the Senate voted Friday evening to push forward with a $95.3 billion package funding Ukraine, Israel and other national security priorities closer to passing, despite GOP members being upset that it doesn’t include border security measures.

Border security provisions were stripped from the bill after all but four GOP senators voted to block it on Tuesday.

Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), one of the lead Democratic negotiators behind the border security deal, said the collapse of the bill was “shocking” and that he was “still shaking” after it failed. He will appear on CBS’ “Face the Nation,” where he will likely talk about the bill’s demise and where the Senate will head now.

Rep. Adam Smith (D-Wash.), the ranking member on the House Armed Services Committee, will also likely talk about Congress’ inability to pass aid for Ukraine, as he is set to appear on “Fox News Sunday.” Smith defended Biden’s mental capabilities in an interview this week and said he has had conversations on the “incredibly complicated, important subjects” like those included in the Senate bill.  

Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) slammed the initial Senate border deal earlier this week and called for Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) to be replaced for supporting it. Lee will appear on Fox News’ “Sunday Morning Futures” where he will likely talk about McConnell’s message to GOP senators: That it’s their responsibility to pass the critical funding.

Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), who voted against advancing the foreign aid funding bill on Friday, argued that the new deal failed to address what he called the “invasion” of migrants at the southern border. He questioned how the U.S. could support Ukraine with “their invasion” but not focus on “its” own.

Rubio, who will appear on CNN’s “State of the Union,” claimed the original deal would have given too much power to asylum officers.

Here’s the complete lineup for the Sunday news shows:

NBC’s “Meet the Press” – Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas; Mitch Landrieu, co-chair of the Biden campaign; former Gov. Chris Christie (R-N.J.).

ABC’s “This Week” – Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu; Sen. Chris Coons (D-Del.); Gov. Brian Kemp (R-Ga.)

CNN’s “State of the Union” – Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.); former Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein.

FOX’s “Fox News Sunday” – Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.); Rep. Adam Smith (D-Wash.).

CBS’s “Face the Nation” – Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley; Biden’s personal counsel Bob Bauer; Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.).

Fox News’ “Sunday Morning Futures” – Rep. James Comer (R-Ky.); former Director of National Intelligence John Ratcliffe; Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah); former U.S. Ambassador to the U.K. Woody Johnson.