Because the latest information linking Joe Biden to a corrupt scheme involving his son Hunter Biden comes from Rudy Giuliani, the president's personal lawyer, the national media will immediately write it off as suspect.
The problem there, though, is that the documents on Hunter Biden that Giuliani provided to the New York Post come with receipts, including an official U.S. court filing and embarrassing photographs.
But here's an idea: Instead of debating whether Giuliani provided solid information, how about a smart reporter simply ask the former vice president about it? Maybe two reporters could do it, or even three.
Yes, a spokeswoman for Biden did say that his team reviewed his "official schedules" from back when he was vice president and found nothing about that supposed meeting. But that's not exactly the same as Biden himself having to answer for the evidence that it did, i.e., the email sent to Hunter by the Ukrainian.
Admittedly, it's a challenge asking Biden any questions at all, even on a basic policy position, such as whether he would try to add more seats to the Supreme Court. He either refuses to answer, or he's simply not available.
But there are still almost three weeks until the election, and there should be at least a couple opportunities to get those questions in. It could also come up at the final presidential debate.
Biden could be asked about the email published by the New York Post purporting to show a Ukrainian having thanked Hunter Biden for giving him the "opportunity to meet your father." The Ukrainian, an executive at the shady Burisma energy company where Hunter Biden was paid for unknown services, said it was "an honor and pleasure."
Joe Biden could be asked about that supposed meeting, given he has denied having any involvement at all with his son's overseas business dealings, especially as they pertained to the Obama-Biden administration's successful attempt to pressure Ukraine's government to fire a prosecutor who was investigating Burisma.
Biden could be asked about the video provided by Giuliani allegedly showing his son engaged in a "sex act" while smoking crack, but that one might not be totally necessary.
The New York Post reports that the information all comes from a laptop that was dropped off at a Delaware-based repair shop, only never to be retrieved by the man who brought it. The shop owner reportedly made a copy of the hard drive, alerted the FBI to the contents, and then handed over the copy to Giuliani.
The owner could not say whether the man who brought in the computer was Hunter Biden himself, according to the New York Post.