Intel: No Russian link to Biden laptop
Lawsuits against Twitter, Facebook a possibility
WASHINGTON — There is no evidence to suggest that Russia had anything to do with Hunter Biden’s laptop and the scandalous information contained on it, Director of National Intelligence John Ratcliffe said Monday.
Ratcliffe’s comments in the morning were followed up on in the afternoon, as President Donald Trump called a reporter “criminal” for not covering the story of Hunter Biden’s email server.
Meanwhile, White House chief of staff Mark Meadows suggested Monday potential lawsuits against Twitter and Facebook were pending over the blocking of distribution of the New York Post story claiming the son of Democratic nominee for president Joe Biden introduced a Ukrainian petroleum executive to his father.
Also, nearly a dozen Republican members of the House of Representatives asked Attorney General William Barr to appoint a special counsel to investigate reports of evidence of influence peddling by Joe Biden arranged by his son Hunter Biden.
Ratcliffe was on Fox Business Network’s “Mornings with Maria” and discussed allegations from Democrats that information purportedly on the laptop, which had emails that appear to link the Bidens, including Joe Biden, to China and Ukraine, could have come from Russia.
“It’s funny that some of the people who complain the most about intelligence being politicized are the ones politicizing the intelligence,” Ratcliffe said. “Unfortunately, it is (Rep.) Adam Schiff who said the intelligence community believes the Hunter Biden laptop and emails on it are part of a Russian disinformation campaign.
“Let me be clear: the intelligence community doesn’t believe that because there is no intelligence that supports that. And we have shared no intelligence with Adam Schiff or any member of Congress.”
He added that claims of Russia being behind the hard drive’s contents, which included emails, photos and videos, are “simply not true.”
“Hunter Biden’s laptop is not part of some Russian disinformation campaign,” he said, adding later than the FBI already looked at the drive.
During a press scrum on the tarmac at Phoenix on Monday, Reuters reporter Jeff Mason asked Trump why his campaign strategy is to label Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden a criminal.
“He is a criminal,” Trump replied. “He got caught. Read his laptop.”
“And you know who’s a criminal? You’re a criminal for not reporting it,” Trump added. “Joe Biden is a criminal, and he’s been one for a long time. And you’re a criminal and the media for not reporting it.”
Meanwhile, in an appearance on “Fox & Friends,” White House chief of staff Meadows said Twitter and Facebook used dubious and specious justifications for prohibiting the New York Post story being linked on users’ personal accounts, with Facebook saying the information needed to be fact-checked and Twitter saying it violated its policy on distributing “hacked” material.
“They are accomplishing their goal because they have two standards: one for one campaign, one for the other,” Meadows said, agreeing with Brian Kilmeade that Twitter and Facebook were accomplishing its intent of smothering a story deemed damaging to Biden’s campaign.
On Capitol Hill, 11 House Republicans signed a letter that referred to the story published by the New York Post that said a laptop delivered to a Delaware computer repair shop contained emails and other information indicating that Hunter Biden sold access to his father while he served as the No. 2 person in the administration of President Barack Obama.
“Emails, allegedly on the hard drive, have indicated that Hunter Biden may have helped to orchestrate a payout to his father, former Vice President Joe Biden, from his dealings with a Chinese energy corporation, and that he may have compromised the integrity of his father’s role as Vice President of the United States with his business dealings in Ukraine,” the Republicans wrote.
The letter is signed by Reps. Andy Biggs, Paul Gosar and Debbie Lesko of Arizona; Rep.ted Budd of North Carolina; Rep. Jeff Duncan of South Carolina; Rep. Jody Hice of Georgia; Rep. Mark Green of Tennessee; Rep. Louie Gohmert of Texas; Rep. Ted Yoho of Florida; Rep. Andy Harris of Maryland; and Rep. Steve King of New York.