{"id":1426314,"date":"2022-04-08T20:14:39","date_gmt":"2022-04-09T00:14:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=1426314"},"modified":"2022-04-08T20:14:44","modified_gmt":"2022-04-09T00:14:44","slug":"from-russian-disinformation-to-we-dont-comment-on-the-laptop-white-houses-messaging-on-hunter-bidens-laptop-quietly-shifts","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/from-russian-disinformation-to-we-dont-comment-on-the-laptop-white-houses-messaging-on-hunter-bidens-laptop-quietly-shifts\/","title":{"rendered":"From \u2018Russian Disinformation\u2019 To \u2018We Don\u2019t Comment On The Laptop\u2019: White House\u2019s Messaging On Hunter Biden\u2019s Laptop Quietly Shifts"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">38<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Ffrom-russian-disinformation-to-we-dont-comment-on-the-laptop-white-houses-messaging-on-hunter-bidens-laptop-quietly-shifts%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=1426314&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><div><\/div>\n<p>On October 19, 2020, current White House press secretary Jen Psaki tweeted out an article published by Politico which cited \u201cmore than 50 intelligence officers\u201d who signed a letter claiming the Hunter Biden laptop story was Russian disinformation.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHunter Biden story is Russian disinfo, dozens of former intel officers say,\u201d Psaki tweeted, reiterating Politico\u2019s headline.<\/p>\n<p>Just a few days later, then-Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden reiterated the story, dismissing the laptop\u2019s authenticity during a presidential debate.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">Hunter Biden story is Russian disinfo, dozens of former intel officials say <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/zRdHxTxVsl\">https:\/\/t.co\/zRdHxTxVsl<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Jen Psaki (@jrpsaki) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/jrpsaki\/status\/1318382779659411458?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">October 20, 2020<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>\u201cWhat he\u2019s accusing me of is a Russian plant,\u201d Biden <a href=\"https:\/\/variety.com\/2020\/tv\/news\/donald-trump-joe-biden-covid-coronavirus-debate-1234813873\/\">said<\/a> at the time. \u201cWhat he\u2019s saying is a bunch of garbage. Nobody believes it except him and his good friend Rudy Giuliani.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>While the future administration managed to dismiss the laptop at the time, the subject is now front and center once again after a report <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2022\/03\/16\/us\/politics\/hunter-biden-tax-bill-investigation.html\">published<\/a> by The New York Times in March of 2022 <a href=\"https:\/\/dailycaller.com\/2022\/03\/17\/nyt-admits-authenticity-hunter-biden-laptop\/\">admitted<\/a> the laptop\u2019s authenticity.<\/p>\n<p>The NYT article, which dove into the Justice Department\u2019s investigation of Hunter Biden\u2019s business dealings and tax affairs, only briefly mentioned the laptop. However, the NYT appeared to verify the laptop\u2019s authenticity:<\/p>\n<p>\u201cPeople familiar with the investigation said prosecutors had examined emails between Mr. Biden, Mr. Archer and others about Burisma and other foreign business activity,\u201d the NYT wrote. \u201cThose emails were obtained by The New York Times from a cache of files that appears to have come from a laptop abandoned by Mr. Biden in a Delaware repair shop.\u00a0The email and others in the cache were authenticated by people familiar with them and with the investigation.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Although the NYT was not the first publication to report on the laptop and its contents \u2013 the New York Post broke the story in 2020 and the Daily Caller News Foundation, after obtaining a copy of the laptop, was told its <a href=\"https:\/\/dailycaller.com\/2020\/10\/29\/cybersecurity-expert-authenticates-hunter-biden-burisma-email\/\">contents<\/a> were\u00a0\u201cunquestionably authentic\u201d by a cybersecurity expert \u2013 its revelation mid-Biden presidency has shone a light on the president and his son once again.<\/p>\n<p>This time, with the Russian disinformation storyline apparently cast aside, the Biden administration has sought to answer questions on the laptop\u2019s contents in various different ways \u2013 each time evolving its response slightly, and each time avoiding its earlier assertion that the news was \u201cRussian disinformation.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>In light of the NYT report, Psaki was <a href=\"https:\/\/www.whitehouse.gov\/briefing-room\/press-briefings\/2022\/03\/17\/press-briefing-by-press-secretary-jen-psaki-march-17-2022\/\">pressed<\/a> March 17 on whether Biden stood by his statement calling the NY Post\u2019s Hunter Biden story \u201cgarbage\u201d and a \u201cRussian plant.\u201d The press secretary would not comment, instead pointing to \u201cthe Department of Justice and also to Hunter Biden\u2019s representatives.\u201d Psaki added that Hunter Biden \u201cdoesn\u2019t work in the government.\u201d<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">The president said the NYPost story about Hunter Biden was \u201cgarbage\u201d and a \u201cRussian plant.\u201d Does he stand by that statement, I asked Psaki, after <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/kenvogel?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@kenvogel<\/a> and NYT authenticated some of the emails from that laptop?<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/ix8N3o2WwH\">pic.twitter.com\/ix8N3o2WwH<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Philip Melanchthon Wegmann (@PhilipWegmann) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/PhilipWegmann\/status\/1504552146884337665?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">March 17, 2022<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Moments later, when confronted with her own tweet repeating the Russian disinformation claim and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.whitehouse.gov\/briefing-room\/press-briefings\/2022\/03\/17\/press-briefing-by-press-secretary-jen-psaki-march-17-2022\/\">asked<\/a> whether she stands by \u201cthat assessment,\u201d Psaki reiterated her earlier response and declined to answer. <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/dailycaller.com\/2022\/04\/06\/gop-probe-hunter-biden-james-biden-financial-transactions-flagged\/\">(RELATED:\u00a0GOP Probe Into Hunter Biden\u2019s Business Dealings Reportedly Finds Concerns Over Joe Biden\u2019s Brother, 150+ Financial Transactions Flagged)<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>White House communications director Kate Bedingfield was <a href=\"https:\/\/dailycaller.com\/2022\/03\/31\/white-house-hunter-biden-foreign-business-dealings\/\">pressed<\/a> March 31 on whether the administration stood by Biden\u2019s declaration \u2013 made during a 2020 presidential debate \u2013 that \u201cnothing was unethical\u201d regarding his son\u2019s overseas business dealings.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe president said \u2018nothing was unethical,&#8217;\u201d NBC News\u2019 Kristen Welker said at the time. \u201cHe [Biden] went on to say, \u2018My son has not made money in terms of this thing about, talking about China.\u2019 Does the White House stand by that comment?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>This time, the administration offered up a more definitive response, with Bedingfield saying that they \u201cabsolutely stand by the president\u2019s comment.\u201d\u00a0Bedingfield continued on to say that there wasn\u2019t \u201cmore\u201d she could say on the subject because she does \u201cnot speak for Hunter Biden.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>That same day, Bedingfield <a href=\"https:\/\/www.whitehouse.gov\/briefing-room\/statements-releases\/2022\/03\/31\/press-briefing-by-director-of-communications-kate-bedingfield-and-nec-director-brian-deese\/\">declined<\/a> to answer questions about whether Biden was prepping to pardon any family members and whether the president was reading up on the latest troubles plaguing his son.<\/p>\n<p>White House chief of staff Ron Klain reiterated Bedingfield\u2019s vote of confidence on April 3, saying during an interview on ABC News that \u201cthe president is confident that his son didn\u2019t break the law.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBut most importantly, as I said, that\u2019s a matter that\u2019s going to be decided by the Justice Department, by the legal process. It\u2019s something that no one at the White House has involvement in,\u201d Klain <a href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/politics\/ron-klain-biden-confident-hunter-biden-did-the-right-thing-investigations\">said<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>This week, the administration has continued to field questions about the laptop, the president and his son. Fox News\u2019 White House correspondent Peter Doocy repeatedly pressed Psaki on the <a href=\"https:\/\/dailycaller.com\/2022\/04\/05\/psaki-dodges-questions-hunter-biden-business-dealings\/\">subject<\/a>\u00a0April 5, starting with whether Biden would back appointing a special counsel to investigate Hunter Biden\u2019s business dealings.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe president has never had a conversation with the Department of Justice about any investigations into any member of his family,\u201d Psaki responded. \u201cHe said that during the campaign, and he will continue to abide by that. So, I\u2019d point you to the Department of Justice for any additional steps they would take. They would make those decisions independently.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Then, Psaki was confronted with Klain\u2019s comment declaring Biden \u201cconfident\u201d that his son broke no laws. The press secretary said \u201cthat\u2019s something\u201d Biden \u201chas said and certainly something we would echo.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBut in the same answer to that question, Peter, during an interview this week on ABC, Ron Klain also said the Justice Department is independent and they will make their own decisions,\u201d Psaki continued, once again relying on the administration\u2019s long-held push to keep the DOJ separate.<\/p>\n<p>Psaki also said Biden\u2019s claim that he has never spoken to Hunter Biden about his overseas business dealings remains valid. <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/dailycaller.com\/2022\/04\/07\/joe-biden-hunter-biden-bhr-laptop-college\/\">(RELATED:\u00a0Joe Biden Performed Special Favor For Hunter\u2019s Chinese Business Partner: REPORT)<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>One day later, in response to a Fox News <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/peterjhasson\/status\/1511693953871003653?s=20\">report<\/a> noting that the president apparently wrote a college recommendation for the son of Hunter Biden\u2019s Chinese business partner, the administration offered up a brand new statement regarding the laptop:<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe don\u2019t comment on the laptop,\u201d White House deputy press secretary Andrew Bates <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/AlexThomp\/status\/1511697305367363594?s=20&#038;t=z3hvDac1RzaCWZFl9B6R7w\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">told<\/a> Fox News Digital.<\/p>\n<p>Later that day, Psaki slightly altered her response and abandoned the administration\u2019s push to have the DOJ respond to inquiries. This time, <a href=\"https:\/\/dailycaller.com\/2022\/04\/06\/not-accurate-psaki-doocy-biden-son-business-partners\/\">she noted<\/a> that the administration has \u201cno confirmation or comment\u201d on the latest report.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">Psaki tells Doocy she has \u201cno confirmation or comment\u201d after he asks whether it was \u201ccommon for President Biden to do favors for Hunter Biden\u2019s international business partners, like writing college recommendations for their kids.\u201d (Context \u2b07\ufe0f) <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/0qfytb5Bxb\">https:\/\/t.co\/0qfytb5Bxb<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Shelby Talcott (@ShelbyTalcott) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/ShelbyTalcott\/status\/1511791392409985029?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">April 6, 2022<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>The press secretary also claimed that reports from the laptop referring to Hunter Biden and his father as \u201coffice mates\u201d were \u201cnot accurate.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Doocy then pointed to reports that the president was office mates with his son and his brother, James Biden, in Washington, D.C.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSo, when Hunter Biden is emailing a landlord, \u2018Please have keys made available for new office mates: Joe Biden, Jill Biden, Jim Biden,\u2019 you\u2019re disputing\u2014\u201d Doocy asked before Psaki interrupted to declare that the two \u201cwere not office mates.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>While various administration officials have been pressed on multiple aspects of the Hunter Biden laptop, the president himself has yet to address any of the recent reports. Biden has also not been pressed on whether he stands by his assertions dismissing the laptop prior to taking office.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>On October 19, 2020, current White House press secretary Jen Psaki tweeted out an article published by Politico which cited \u201cmore than 50 intelligence officers\u201d who signed a letter claiming<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":125,"featured_media":2315279,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1426314","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1426314","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/125"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1426314"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1426314\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2315279"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1426314"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1426314"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1426314"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}