Sunday shows preview: Hunter Biden gets special counsel; Maui wildfires wreak havoc; 2024 nears

After a special counsel appointment this week, Hunter Biden’s federal and House investigations will likely be the focus of Sunday news shows this weekend, alongside devastating wildfires in Hawaii and the ever-nearing 2024 GOP presidential primary.

David Weiss, the U.S. Attorney for Delaware, was appointed as a special counsel by Attorney General Merrick Garland on Friday after Weiss asked for the designation, giving him additional prosecutorial powers in the Hunter Biden case. 

Hunter Biden’s lawyer, Abbe Lowell, is scheduled to appear on CBS’ “Face the Nation.” Lowell has downplayed Weiss’ appointment, saying that the prosecutor has had five years to investigate Hunter Biden and has only found minor crimes. 

“What happened today, as a practical matter, is not much different than what was the case yesterday or three weeks before,” Lowell said in a CNN interview Friday.

“So, whatever his title, and whatever happens next, we’re confident that should be the same conclusion,” he continued. “And if it’s not, then it’s something other than the facts and the law that has come into play,” he added.

House Intelligence Committee Chair Rep. Mike Turner (R-Ohio) has advocated for the House investigations into Hunter Biden. He is also expected to appear on “Face the Nation.” 

Wildfires tore through western Maui in Hawaii this week, completely destroying the town of Lahaina and killing at least 80 people. Fires were bolstered by unusually strong winds which trapped many in Lahaina, forcing some to flee into the ocean to escape flames. 

Local officials have described the destruction as like a “war zone.” President Biden signed a disaster declaration for the island on Friday, allowing federal relief aid.

Hawaii Rep. Jill Tokuda (D) is scheduled to appear on “Face the Nation,” while Sen. Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii) will be on CNN’s “State of the Union.”

The damage has attracted untold attention to the island, but Vice President Harris said this week that she and Biden won’t be flying to Hawaii, explaining that they do not want to distract relief efforts.

FEMA Director Deanne Criswell is also scheduled for “Face the Nation,” as the agency begins rolling out relief aid in Maui.

The beginning of the 2024 presidential primary is just over 150 days away with the GOP Iowa caucuses set for Jan. 15. Many of the candidates traveled to the Hawkeye State this weekend for the Iowa State Fair, including former Vice President Mike Pence, who is set to headline NBC’s “Meet the Press.”

The former vice president qualified for the first GOP debate on Monday, bringing the total candidates who have qualified to eight. That debate will be Aug. 23 in Wisconsin.

Pence told The Hill on Friday that he’s excited for the opportunity to hit the stage.

“I think I’ve been preparing for this debate my whole life,” Pence said. “I spent a lifetime in the Republican Party and in the conservative movement … I think I’m going to be the most consistent and experienced conservative on that stage.”

Biotech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, who also made an appearance at the Iowa State Fair, will be on Fox News’ “Sunday Morning Futures” this weekend. He used his Iowa appearances to shore up support for a campaign rising in popularity. 

In speaking appearances Saturday, Ramaswamy railed against the Hunter Biden investigation, claimed Biden is weak on China and called “the climate agenda” a “hoax.”

Ramaswamy has also qualified for the first GOP debate later this month, as has former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R). Christie is scheduled to feature on ABC’s “This Week” on Sunday.

Christie continued his crusade against Trump this week, calling him a “hot mess.” He also notched his best poll performance yet, tying Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis for second in a New Hampshire poll released Tuesday.

He is the most staunch Trump critic in the 2024 candidate field, and has hit the former president hard over his newest criminal indictment, alleging Trump attempted to overturn the 2020 election.

Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.), who sat on the House Jan. 6 committee and recommended similar charges against Trump, will also appear on “This Week.”

Raskin said last week that special counsel Jack Smith may finally hold Trump accountable.

“I think that he’s met his match now in his special counsel, who is holding him to the letter of the criminal law,” he said in an NBC interview.

Also appearing on shows this weekend is 2024 candidate former Rep. Will Hurd (R-Texas). A Trump critic, Hurd ripped into the former president in a PBS interview Saturday.

“Donald Trump is a liar. Donald Trump is a loser. And Donald Trump is a national security threat to the United States of America,” Hurd said. “And we need to be honest about that. And if we nominate him, if the GOP nominates him, then we’re giving Joe Biden and Kamala Harris four more years.”

Rep. Dean Phillips (D-Minn.), who has considered a Democratic challenge to Biden, will appear on “Meet the Press.” Phillips urged fellow Democrats to consider primarying Biden after saying he has “grave concerns” about the president’s chances in 2024.

“I love Joe Biden,” Phillips said in a CNN interview Friday. “I think he’s a man of decency, of competency. His record is extraordinary. I voted for it. I’ve helped market it and distribute it. I think the world of him.” 

“But I also believe my job is not duty-bound to the president, to my party, but to the constitution and country,” he continued. “And right now, I have grave concerns … I am scared. I’m trying to raise that bell, be the clarion call if you will.”

Below is the full list of guests scheduled to appear on this week’s Sunday talk shows:

ABC’s “This Week” — Rep. Jamie Raskin, (D-Md.), former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, a Republican presidential candidate; Gabriel Sterling, chief operating officer of the Georgia Secretary of State’s office.

NBC’s “Meet the Press” — Former Vice President Mike Pence, a Republican presidential candidate; Rep. Dean Phillips, (D-Minn.)

CBS’ “Face the Nation” — Reps. Jill Tokuda (D-Hawaii) and Mike Turner (R-Ohio); Abbe Lowell, a lawyer to Hunter Biden; FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell; Robert Pape, professor of political science at the University of Chicago.

CNN’s “State of the Union” — Sen. Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii); Rep. Dan Goldman (D-N.Y.); former Texas Rep. Will Hurd, a Republican presidential candidate.

“Fox News Sunday” — Reps. Michael McCaul (R-Texas) and Adam Smith (D-Wash).

Fox News’ “Sunday Morning Futures” — Sens. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.); Vivek Ramaswamy, a Republican presidential candidate.