FLASHBACK: Ex-intel officials claimed the Hunter Biden laptop story was Russian disinformation
Several members of Biden administration amplified letter in attempt to discredit narrative about Hunter Biden's emails
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The New York Times confirmed a story this week about Hunter Biden’s laptop that over 50 former U.S. intelligence officials previously dismissed as Russian disinformation.
The Times confirmed the authenticity of President Biden's son's missing laptop that turned up in a Delaware repair shop and contained dozens of damning emails from his time at the Ukrainian energy company Burisma.
That didn’t stop over 50 former U.S. intelligence officials — including former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper — from weighing in on the story in October 2020.
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"Perhaps most important, each of us believes deeply that American citizens should determine the outcome of elections, not foreign governments," the officials wrote in a widely covered letter. "All of us agree with the founding fathers’ concern about the damage that foreign interference in our politics can do to our democracy."
The New York Times finally confirmed the authenticity of Hunter Biden's infamous laptop this week, but critics feel it was too little, too late by the liberal newspaper. (Randy Holmes via Getty Images)
"It is for all these reasons that we write to say that the arrival on the US political scene of emails purportedly belonging to Vice President Biden’s son Hunter, much of it related to his time serving on the Board of the Ukrainian gas company Burisma, has all the classic earmarks of a Russian information operation," they continued.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The former officials conceded that they did "not know if the emails provided to the New York Post by President Trump’s personal attorney Rudy Giuliani, are genuine or not and that we do not have evidence of Russian involvement" but still said that they were "deeply suspicious that the Russian government played a significant role in this case."
President Biden speaks about his administration's global COVID-19 vaccination efforts ahead of the G-7 summit, Thursday, June 10, 2021, in St. Ives, England. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)
"If we are right, this is Russia trying to influence how Americans vote in this election, and we believe strongly that Americans need to be aware of this," they wrote in 2020.
FLASHBACK: BIDEN OFFICIALS PUSHED ANGLE THAT HUNTER LAPTOP WAS ‘RUSSIAN DISINFO’
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The letter caught on like wildfire online, with several members of the Biden administration amplifying the letter, including Biden’s press secretary, Jen Psaki. President Biden himself even worked to discredit reports swirling about his son's laptop.
During the final presidential debate in Nashville, Tennessee, Biden stated: "Look, there are 50 former National Intelligence folks who said that what this, he's accusing me of is a Russian plan. They have said that this has all the characteristics-- four-- five former heads of the CIA, both parties, say what he's saying is a bunch of garbage. Nobody believes it except him, his, and his good friend Rudy Giuliani."
White House press secretary Jen Psaki speaks during a press briefing at the White House, Wednesday, Feb. 16, 2022, in Washington. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)
"Yes, yes, yes," President Biden responded when asked if he believed the laptop was Russian disinformation in a press conference following his electoral win. The president also pledged that his "Justice Department will be totally on its own making judgments about how they should proceed."
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"Hunter Biden story is Russian disinfo, dozens of former intel officials say," Psaki wrote in a tweet in October 2020 that was retweeted by Susan Rice, who is now the Domestic Policy Council director.
Psaki repeated this talking point in September 2021 when Fox News' Peter Doocy asked whether the Biden administration still stood by its claim that the Hunter Biden laptop was "Russian disinformation" after a Politico reporter verified several emails.