The “Russian intelligence operation” narrative, pushed by dozens of former intelligence officials in the weeks before the 2020 election and amplified by the Biden campaign, suffered a major blow this week when the federal government turned over Hunter Biden’s laptop as evidence in his gun trial.
After its veracity was downplayed for years by former intelligence officials, leading Democrats and the White House, Hunter’s laptop has been formally introduced as evidence by Biden’s Justice Department and is being used to prove that Biden was high on drugs and in violation of federal law when he bought a gun in 2018.
The laptop was turned over to FBI agent Erica Jensen by U.S. Attorney Derek Hines, who described how the FBI authenticated the laptop and extracted the data from it earlier this week. During the gun trial, Jensen testified about dozens of text messages, metadata, photos and short videos found on Biden’s phone and iCloud account.
In one of the most significant cases denying the laptop’s authenticity, 51 former intelligence officials wrote a letter two weeks before the 2020 presidential election alleging that the laptop may have been fabricated by Russia to influence the presidential election.
Hunter Biden’s wife slams ex-Trump aide, calling him a ‘son of a bitch’ during court appearance
President Joe Biden and his son Hunter. (Getty Images)
The writing of the memo, eventually made public by Politico, involved coordination between Biden’s campaign and former officials, House Republicans concluded in their investigation.
Fox News Digital previously reported that House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) and House Intelligence Committee Chairman Mike Turner (R-Ohio) l“Based on Mr. Morell’s testimony, it is clear that the Biden campaign played an active role in initiating public statements to suppress reporting about Hunter Biden and to interfere with the American people’s ability to make an informed decision in the 2020 Presidential election,” President Trump wrote in a letter to Secretary of State Antony Blinken last year.
Morrell also said he received a call from Steve Ricchetti, a White House adviser to Biden who was then serving as chairman of the Biden 2020 campaign, after the Oct. 22 debate. Morrell said the call was to thank him for spearheading the letter.
Democrats lost something valuable during the Hunter Biden influence hearings
Hunter Biden, son of U.S. President Joe Biden, leaves a federal courthouse with his wife, Melissa Cohen Biden, on the second day of a trial in his firearms-related criminal case, in Wilmington, Delaware, USA, June 4, 2024. (Reuters/Kevin Lamarque)
According to the Republican report, former CIA senior adviser Nick Shapiro drafted the media pitch and pitched the letter to The Associated Press, The Washington Post and Politico. Shapiro then forwarded the letter to then-Biden campaign spokesman Andrew Bates, who is now senior deputy White House press secretary, tipped him off before it was made public, saying, “This is what I gave them.”
“Dozens of former intelligence officials say Hunter Biden story is Russian disinformation,” Bates tweeted after the Politico article was published, including a link to the article.
Deputy Press Secretary Andrew Bates (right) speaks as Office of Management and Budget Director Shalanda Young (center) and Council of Economic Advisers Chair Cecilia Rouse (left) listen during a press briefing in the Brady Room of the White House in Washington, DC on March 28, 2022. (Photo by Nicholas Kamm/AFP via Getty Images)
“Dozens of former intelligence officials say the Hunter Biden story is Russian disinformation,” tweeted Jen Psaki, who later became Biden’s White House press secretary.
“As we watch Donald Trump attack Vice President Biden’s family tonight, I think we need to recognize very clearly that what he’s doing here is amplifying Russian disinformation,” said Kate Bedingfield, Biden’s deputy campaign manager who later served as White House communications director.
Indeed, Biden brought up the letter during his final debate with former President Donald Trump, calling the laptop a “Russian plant” and a “load of garbage.”
“Fifty former national intelligence officials say what he’s accusing me of being a Russian agent,” Biden said at the time. “… Five former CIA directors from both parties say what he’s saying is bullshit. No one believes him except his best friend Rudy Giuliani.”
NEW YORK, NY – MARCH 1: Featuring Michael Morell. Common Good is pleased to bring you an important informal conversation between former CIA Director and Acting Deputy Director Michael Morell and former Secretary of Homeland Security Jay Johnson on March 1, 2018 in New York City. (Sylvain Gaboury/Patrick McMullan via Getty Images)
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Kelly Kupec Urbain, Fox News Legal Editor; Post to social media He said Tuesday that the prosecution’s presentation of the laptop marked a key moment in the case.
“The biggest takeaway from today’s courtroom is that the laptop is real, we saw it with our own eyes, it belongs to Hunter Biden, and the FBI and Department of Justice are using information extracted from it in the gun case,” Arbour said. “It will be interesting to see if the 50-plus intelligence experts plan to issue an updated letter before this year’s debate.”
The White House and Biden campaign did not respond to Fox News Digital’s requests for comment.
Fox News Digital’s Jessica Chasmer and Emma Colton contributed to this report.
