Secretary of State Antony Blinken denied on Monday that he asked for a letter to be signed by intelligence officials in October 2020 that characterized the New York Post’s reporting on Hunter Biden’s laptop as “Russian disinformation.”
The letter, which was signed by 51 current and former intelligence officials, was published in The Washington Post and The New York Times just weeks before the 2020 election. The letter stated that the intelligence community had “uncorroborated” and “inadmissible” information about the laptop, and that it was “highly likely” that the laptop was part of a Russian disinformation campaign.
Blinken, who was then the deputy secretary of state, was one of the officials who was reportedly asked to sign the letter. However, he told Fox News on Monday that he never asked for the letter to be written, and that he never signed it.
“I did not ask for that letter to be written, I did not sign that letter,” Blinken said. “I was never asked to sign that letter. And I think the testimony that the former deputy director of the CIA, Mike Morrell, put forward confirms that.”
Blinken’s denial comes as the New York Times is facing renewed scrutiny for its role in the publication of the letter. The Times has been criticized for not disclosing that one of the letter’s signatories, former CIA Director John Brennan, was a longtime friend of Hunter Biden.
Asked if he accepts that the Hunter Biden laptop story was not Russian disinformation, Blinken said he would not be “engaging in politics” while focused on the job of being the nation’s top diplomat.
The Times has also been criticized for not disclosing that the letter was drafted by a group of Democratic operatives who were working to help Joe Biden win the election.
The Times has defended its decision to publish the letter, saying that it was “important” to inform the public about the intelligence community’s assessment of the laptop. However, the Times’ handling of the story has raised questions about the paper’s journalistic integrity.
However, Blinken’s denial casts doubt on the intelligence community’s assessment of the laptop. It is now clear that at least one of the officials who signed the letter was not acting in good faith.
The intelligence community’s assessment of the Hunter Biden laptop is further undermined by the fact that the laptop has now been authenticated by the FBI. The FBI has confirmed that the laptop is owned by Hunter Biden, and that it contains emails and other documents that are authentic.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken denies that he asked for the letter to be written claiming the Hunter Biden laptop was Russian Disinformation and when asked if he accepts that the laptop isn’t Russian Disinformation, he says “I’m not engaging in politics”. pic.twitter.com/2spkML1B9M
— ALX 🇺🇸 (@alx) May 2, 2023
