Former Spy Chief Accuses POLITICO Of Distorting Letter On Hunter Biden Laptop

James Clapper, former Director of National Intelligence, accused POLITICO “deliberately” Falsely describing a letter that he and 50 intelligence veterans signed in regards to the Hunter Biden laptop story.

Clapper, who served as the nation’s spy chief during the Obama administration, said the letter did not assert that reporting on the laptop was part of a Russian disinformation operation, a notion that POLITICO peddled with its headline when first reporting the existence of the letter.

“There was message distortion,” Clapper told The Washington Post’s Fact Checker. “All we were doing was raising a yellow flag that this could be Russian disinformation. Politico deliberately distorted what we said. It was clear in paragraph five.”

The Letter from 51 ex-intelligence officials came out in the days leading up to the 2020 presidential election, warning that reporting about the laptop’s alleged contents “has all the classic earmarks of a Russian information operation.”

While the signees stated that they were unsure if emails being sent at the time were authentic and insisted that there was no evidence of Russian involvement, POLITICO first reported the letter. Publication of a headline This was the claim that the story was made by former intelligence officers. “Russian disinfo.”

Then-candidate Joe Biden, Hunter’s father, used the letter to The laptop story is a mystery During one his debates with the then-President Donald Trump. “There are 50 former national intelligence folks who said that what he’s accusing me of is a Russian plan,” Biden During the debate.

The Washington Post stated that Clapper was contacted after House Republicans led by Jim Jordan (R OH), sent Clapper along with 11 other signers. Requests for documents or testimony regarding the letter — a development first reported by The Daily Wire.

“No one who has spent time in Washington should be surprised that journalists and politicians willfully or unintentionally misconstrue oral or written statements,” Thomas Fingar, a former State Department official, was another signer of this letter and was contacted directly by The Washington Post. “The statement we signed was carefully written to minimize the likelihood that what was said would be misconstrued, and to provide a clear written record that could be used to identify and disprove distortions.”

The new report also revealed other interesting tidbits, such as that Clapper claimed he didn’t know the way Biden described the letter in the presidential debate. The Washington Post reported that its Fact Checker found out that Michael Morell (former CIA Deputy director) organized the letter.

The laptop, which allegedly was abandoned at a Delaware computer repair shop before the FBI obtained it, contains details about Hunter Biden’s personal life and financial affairs. John Paul Isaac (the repairman who got the laptop), sued POLITICO as well as others for defamation. They are accused of making false claims He spread Russian disinformation. The Daily Beast, which was later named as one of the new outlets in the lawsuit, later Apologize Thank you for reporting that the laptop wasn’t working. “stolen.”

POLITICO defends its reporting regarding the letter.

“The article fairly and accurately reported on — and summarized — the intelligence officials’ letter,” The statement was as follows: “More specifically, the headline is a fair summary of their allegations, the subhead offers additional context, and the first paragraph of the article hyperlinks to the letter itself, allowing readers to draw their own conclusion.”

Many of the contents of this laptop story have been updated since it was first published more than two decades ago. Analysed and confirmed authentic. Hunter Biden’s lawyers recently began to send letters to state and federal officials For individuals to be subject to investigations involved in sharing the contents on the laptop with the media. Later, Abbe Lowell, his attorney, insisted that the letters be sent. do not “confirm” the laptop was his client’s device.

Douglas Wise is a former deputy director of Defense Intelligence Agency. Information revealed last month He and the other signees believed that the contents of the laptop were authentic at the time the letter was sent. “All of us figured that a significant portion of that content had to be real to make any Russian disinformation credible,” He The Australian.

Federal prosecutors are investigating Hunter Biden’s foreign business dealings, tax affairs and tax affairs. However, the existence of this long-running inquiry is not known. Posted to the public Up to the 2020 election. Hunter Biden said that he expects to be Recognized as innocent of any wrongdoing.