{"id":1917631,"date":"2023-04-21T09:42:20","date_gmt":"2023-04-21T13:42:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/ex-cia-official-blinken-prompted-infamous-intel-statement-calling-hunter-biden-laptop-russian-disinfo\/"},"modified":"2023-04-21T09:47:09","modified_gmt":"2023-04-21T13:47:09","slug":"ex-cia-official-blinken-prompted-infamous-intel-statement-calling-hunter-biden-laptop-russian-disinfo","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/ex-cia-official-blinken-prompted-infamous-intel-statement-calling-hunter-biden-laptop-russian-disinfo\/","title":{"rendered":"Ex-CIA Official: Blinken Prompted Infamous Intel Statement Calling Hunter Biden Laptop Russian Disinfo"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">26<\/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%2Fex-cia-official-blinken-prompted-infamous-intel-statement-calling-hunter-biden-laptop-russian-disinfo%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=1917631&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 class=\"article-content\">\n<p>A former CIA official testified that then-Biden campaign adviser and now-Secretary of State Antony Blinken played a role in the creation of a debunked letter from 51 former intelligence officials that falsely claimed the Hunter Biden laptop was Russian disinformation.<\/p>\n<p>On Thursday, Ohio Reps. Jim Jordan and Michael Turner, chairmen of the Judiciary and Intel Committees, respectively, sent a <a href=\"https:\/\/judiciary.house.gov\/sites\/evo-subsites\/republicans-judiciary.house.gov\/files\/evo-media-document\/2023-04-20-jdj-mt-to-blinken-re-public-statement-on-hunter-biden-emails_0.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">letter<\/a> to Blinken informing him that their committees are \u201cconducting oversight of federal law-enforcement and intelligence matters within [their] respective jurisdictions.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"fdrlst__b89e9-paragraph-2-long d-flex justify-content-center\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center; \" id=\"fdrlst__b89e9-1861033839\">\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-1379703300879-0\" class=\"mb-30\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div  class=\"fdrlst__b89e9-671be9079bf1e76a5a74f7859146b521 fdrlst__b89e9-paragraph-2\" id=\"fdrlst__b89e9-671be9079bf1e76a5a74f7859146b521\"><\/div>\n<p>\u201cWe are examining that public statement signed by 51 former intelligence officials that falsely discredited a New York Post story regarding Hunter Biden\u2019s laptop as supposed Russian disinformation,\u201d they wrote. \u201cAs 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.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>During his recent testimony before the House Judiciary Committee, Michael Morell, a former deputy director of the CIA who signed onto the letter, revealed that \u201con or around October 17, 2020, [Blinken] reached out to him to discuss the Hunter Biden laptop story,\u201d which had been published in the New York Post on Oct. 14. According to Morell, Blinken\u2019s outreach \u201cset in motion the events that led to the issuance of the public statement\u201d that baselessly asserted the laptop was part of a Russian disinformation campaign. <\/p>\n<p>When asked if he had any intent to write the statement prior to Blinken\u2019s call, Morell said he \u201cdid not,\u201d confirming the call \u201cabsolutely\u201d pushed him to write it. Blinken would later email Morell an article from USA Today that same day \u201calleging that the FBI was examining whether the Hunter Biden laptop was part of a \u2018disinformation campaign.&#8217;\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Blinken wasn\u2019t the only Biden campaign official Morell was in contact with regarding the statement, however. Morell also claimed that following the Oct. 22, 2020, presidential debate, Steve Ricchetti, Biden\u2019s campaign chairman, reached out to him to personally thank him \u201cfor putting the statement out.\u201d <\/p>\n<div  class=\"fdrlst__b89e9-9758e9c76de72a58b563404d01c28d12 fdrlst__b89e9-paragraph-6\" id=\"fdrlst__b89e9-9758e9c76de72a58b563404d01c28d12\"><\/div>\n<p>He further said the Biden campaign was involved in strategically disseminating the statement to the public. According to the Jordan-Turner letter, Morell testified that \u201che sent an email telling Nick Shapiro, former Deputy Chief of Staff and Senior Advisor to the Director of the CIA John Brennan, that the Biden campaign wanted the statement to go to a particular reporter at the Washington Post first and that he should send the statement to the campaign when he sent the letter to the reporter.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Brennan, along with former Obama Director of National Intelligence James Clapper and former CIA Director Leon Panetta, was among the former intel officials who <a href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/politics\/biden-campaign-blinken-orchestrated-intel-letter-discredit-hunter-biden-laptop-story-ex-cia-official-says\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">signed<\/a> the phony statement.<\/p>\n<p>Morell later claimed in his testimony that there were two intents behind releasing the statement, one being for former intel officials to share their alleged \u201cconcern[s] with the American people that the Russians were playing on this issue.\u201d The other was to \u201chelp Vice President Biden.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou wanted to help the vice president, why?\u201d asked Jordan, to which Morell replied, \u201cBecause I wanted him to win the election.\u201d<\/p>\n<div  class=\"fdrlst__b89e9-9c83ca647ab7d4cd6d257c25de1fd2df fdrlst__b89e9-paragraph-10\" id=\"fdrlst__b89e9-9c83ca647ab7d4cd6d257c25de1fd2df\"><\/div>\n<p>The debunked letter signed by Morell and dozens of other former intel officials wasn\u2019t just used by corporate media to dismiss a major story implicating the Biden family. It was used by Joe Biden in his Oct. 22 debate with then-President Donald Trump to dispell Trump\u2019s criticisms of the Bidens\u2019 shady business dealings. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cLook, there are 50 former national intelligence folks who said that what this, [President Trump\u2019s] accusing me of is a Russian plan,\u201d Biden <a href=\"https:\/\/judiciary.house.gov\/sites\/evo-subsites\/republicans-judiciary.house.gov\/files\/evo-media-document\/2023-04-20-jdj-mt-to-blinken-re-public-statement-on-hunter-biden-emails_0.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">said<\/a>. \u201cThey have said this has all the characteristics \u2014 four, five former heads of the CIA, both parties, say what he\u2019s saying is a bunch of garbage. Nobody believes it except him and his good friend Rudy Giuliani.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Shortly after the Post\u2019s publication of the laptop story, Big Tech outlets collectively launched a vicious censorship campaign aimed at preventing its circulation. As revealed in the \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2022\/12\/03\/twitter-files-confirm-big-tech-leftists-suppressed-hunter-biden-laptop-story-ahead-of-2020-election\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Twitter Files<\/a>,\u201d Twitter \u201ctook extraordinary steps to suppress the story,\u201d which included \u201cremoving links,\u201d \u201cposting warnings that it may be \u2018unsafe,&#8217;\u201d and blocking \u201cits transmission via direct message, a tool hitherto reserved for extreme cases, e.g. child pornography.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Meanwhile, during an August interview with podcast host Joe Rogan, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2022\/08\/26\/confirmed-fbi-colluded-with-big-tech-to-prevent-voters-from-learning-about-hunter-bidens-laptop\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">admitted<\/a> that Facebook algorithmically suppressed stories about Hunter Biden\u2019s laptop during the 2020 election after being primed to do so by the FBI. According to Zuckerberg, the FBI warned Facebook about forthcoming \u201cRussian propaganda\u201d just before reports of the laptop dropped.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis concerted effort to minimize and suppress public dissemination of the serious allegations about the Biden family was a grave disservice to all American citizens\u2019 informed participation in our democracy,\u201d Jordan and Turner wrote.<\/p>\n<p>In concluding their letter to Blinken, the Republican congressmen asked the secretary of state to \u201cproduce all documents and communications\u201d and \u201cidentify all people with whom [he] communicated\u201d regarding the October 2020 statement decrying the Hunter Biden laptop as Russian disinformation by May 4.<\/p>\n<div  class=\"fdrlst__b89e9-90fd5772bc124c7ca7c7f281a382a136 fdrlst__b89e9-after-post-content\" id=\"fdrlst__b89e9-90fd5772bc124c7ca7c7f281a382a136\"><\/div>\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator\">\n<div class=\"article-author-description fst-italic\">   Shawn Fleetwood is a Staff Writer for The Federalist and a graduate of the University of Mary Washington. He also serves as a state content writer for Convention of States Action and his work has been featured in numerous outlets, including RealClearPolitics, RealClearHealth, and Conservative Review. Follow him on Twitter @ShawnFleetwood<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-tags bdr-top-black mt-30 mt-sm-60 pt-15 pt-md-45\">\n<ul class=\"list-unstyled d-flex flex-wrap align-items-center mb-0 mx-n10 p-0\">\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/2020-election\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">2020 Election<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/antony-blinken\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Antony Blinken<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/biden-campaign\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Biden Campaign<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/house-judiciary-committee\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">House Judiciary Committee<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/hunter-biden\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Hunter Biden<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/hunter-biden-laptop\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Hunter Biden laptop<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/jim-jordan\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Jim Jordan<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/joe-biden\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Joe Biden<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/michael-turner\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Michael Turner<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/new-york-post\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">New York Post<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A former CIA official testified that then-Biden campaign adviser and now-Secretary of State Antony Blinken played a role in the creation of a debunked letter from 51 former intelligence officials that falsely claimed the Hunter Biden laptop was Russian disinformation. On Thursday, Ohio Reps. Jim Jordan and Michael Turner, chairmen of the Judiciary and Intel<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":539,"featured_media":1917632,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[546],"tags":[10059,3620,4636,4206,7899,3822,10174,7526,6880,4808,20664,3965,6317],"class_list":["post-1917631","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-federalist","tag-disinfo","tag-biden","tag-blinken","tag-calling","tag-ex-cia","tag-hunter","tag-infamous","tag-intel","tag-laptop","tag-official","tag-prompted","tag-russian","tag-statement"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1917631","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\/539"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1917631"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1917631\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1917632"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1917631"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1917631"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1917631"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}