WATCH: CBS reporter asks if Biden will pardon his son and brother during press briefing

At Thursday’s White House press briefing, corporate media outlets finally asked direct questions regarding the ongoing investigation into Hunter Biden, following recent acknowledgements of the legitimacy of his laptop by the New York Times and Washington Post. This was a significant shift from how previously outlets like NPR in October 2020 called the laptop scandal a distraction.

Steven Portnoy of CBS News Radio asked White House Communications Director Kate Bedingfield "...if there have been, if you’re aware if there had been any discussions here inside this White House about whether the President might use his pardon or commutation power, with respect to either his son or his brother?"

Bedingfield replied, "That’s not a hypothetical I’m going to entertain, I don’t have anything to add from this podium."

Kristen Welker of NBC asked, "One more on Hunter Biden who has been in the headlines again, recently: during the last presidential debate, then Vice-President Biden was asked if there’s anything inappropriate or unethical about his son’s relationships, business dealings with China or Ukraine. The President said nothing was unethical. He went on to say 'my son has not made money' in terms of this thing, about what you’re talking about, China. Does the White House stand by that comment that the then Vice-President made?"

Welker had been the moderator of the debate between Biden and former President Donald Trump.

Bedingfield replied, "We absolutely stand by the Vice-President’s comment, and I would point you to the reporting on this, which referenced statements that we made at the time, that we gave to The Washington Post who worked on this story. But as you know, I don’t speak for Hunter Biden, so there’s not more I can say on that."

Ed O’Keefe, also of CBS, asked, "Following up on Kristen’s line of inquiry as well, I know Hunter Biden is not a government employee, you don’t speak for him. Has the President read these reports? Do you guys take them to him when the inquiries come in, and what has been his reaction?"

"I don’t have anything additional to add on this from the podium," Bedingfield repeated.

Outlets like Breitbart had said earlier on Thursday that Bedingfield has had a reputation of more directly defending the Biden family when it came to the Hunter scandal.

Kate Bedingfield had to fill in for the press conference given how both Jen Psaki and Karine Jean-Pierre caught COVID and couldn’t answer questions from reporters.

However, in the case of Psaki she was one of Biden’s staffers who pushed the "Russian disinfo."

The latest round of Hunter Biden reports has drawn questions as to what role the President’s son had in funding biolabs within Ukraine. The House GOP plans to subpoena Hunter on the contents of his laptop if they regain control of Congress following the 2022 midterm elections.

A recent Rasmussen poll shows that two-thirds of American voters still believe the story to be "important."