A former official at the CIA testified that the then-Biden campaign senior advisor, who is now serving as Secretary of State Antony Blinken, “played a role in the inception” of the public statement signed by past and current intelligence officials claimed the Hunter Biden laptop was a portion of a Russian disinformation campaign.
Former Deputy Director of the CIA, Michael Morell testified before the House Judiciary and Intelligence Committees and revealed that now-secretary Blinken was “the impetus” of the October 2020 signed statement that implied the laptop that belonged to Hunter Biden was disinformation.
GOP Representative Jim Jordan, House Judiciary Chairman, and Mike Turner, Republican House Intelligence Committee Chairman, sent a letter to Secretary of State Antony Blinken, notifying him that the panels are “conducting oversight of federal law-enforcement and intelligence matters within our respective jurisdictions.”
“We are examining that public statement signed by 51 former intelligence officials that falsely discredited a New York Post story regarding Hunter Biden’s laptop as supposed Russian disinformation,” they wrote. “As part of our oversight, we have learned that you played a role in the inception of this statement while serving as a Biden campaign advisor, and we, therefore, request your assistance with our oversight.”
Weeks before the presidential election in October 2020, several dozen ex-national security officials signed a letter claiming that Hunter’s laptop contained “all the classic earmarks of a Russian information operation.”
The former officials included former Obama DNI James Clapper, then-Defense Secretary, and former CIA Director Leon Panetta, along with Obama CIA Director John Brennan and others.
Lawmakers say that based on Morell’s testimony, it becomes “apparent” that Joe Biden’s campaign “played an active role in the origins of the public statement, which had the effect of helping to suppress the Hunter Biden story and preventing American citizens from making a fully informed decision during the 2020 presidential election.”
“Although the statement’s signatories have an unquestioned right to free speech and free association — which we do not dispute — their reference to their national security credentials lent weight to the story and suggested access to specialized information unavailable to other Americans,” wrote the former officials.
“This concerted effort to minimize and suppress public dissemination of the serious allegations about the Biden family was a grave disservice to all American citizens’ informed participation in our democracy,” they added.
Turner and Jordan notified Blinken they conducted a transcribed interview with Morell, who also signed onto a letter.
“In his transcribed interview, Morell testified that on or around October 17, 2020, you reached out to him to discuss the Hunter Biden laptop story,” wrote the group. At the time, Blinken was a senior advisor to the campaign of now-President Joe Biden.
“According to Morell, although your outreach was couched as simply gathering Morell’s reaction to the Post story, it set in motion the events that led to the issuance of the public statement,” they wrote.
Former CIA director: Biden’s campaign “helped to strategize about the public release of the statement”
Morell testified that Joe Biden’s campaign “helped to strategize about the public release of the statement.”
“Morell further explained that one of his two goals in releasing the statement was to help then-Vice President Biden in the debate and to assist him in winning the election,” Turner and Jordan wrote.
“There were two intents. One intent was to share our concern with the American people that the Russians were playing on this issue; and, two, it was to help Vice President Biden.”
Turner and Jordan demand Blinken provide material to help them “advance” their oversight.
Both demanded Secretary Blinken identify people he communicated with regarding drafting the statement and produce all documents related to the statement.
They gave the secretary until May 4 at 5 p.m. EST.
In December 2020, Hunter Biden confirmed the inquiry into his “tax affairs” after his father was elected president. The investigation is being conducted by Delaware U.S. Attorney David Weiss, who Trump appointed. The younger Biden has been under federal investigation since 2018.
