Hunter Laptop Letter Pitched To Ex-Spooks As 'Debate Talking Point' To Help Biden
The infamous Hunter Biden laptop letter signed by 51 ex-intel officials was pitched to them by its co-author, Mike Morell, as a way to help Joe Biden with a "talking point" during a crucial debate with Trump, the Washington Examiner's Jerry Dunleavy reports.
Morell admitted that now-Secretary of State Antony Blinken "triggered" him to write the October 2020 letter, co-authored by he and former senior CIA operations officer Marc Polymeropoulos, suggesting that the Hunter Biden laptop reported by the NY Post was likely Russian disinformation.
The recruitment email from Morell was sent to former intelligence officials and included the laptop letter co-authored by him and former senior CIA operations officer Marc Polymeropoulos as an attachment.
The quoted language from the Morell email, sent on Oct. 18, 2020, was read to the Washington Examiner verbatim and identically by two independent sources who had access to the email.
Morell's email explained that both he and Polymeropoulos believed Russia was involved in the Hunter Biden laptop stories and that Trump likely planned to attack Biden over the laptop revelations in the upcoming debate. -Washington Examiner
"We want to give the VP a talking point to use in response," Morell wrote in the email.
Looks like pitching the Hunter Biden laptop letter as a “talking point” for Joe Biden for the debate with Trump was standard fare for Mike Morell, as here he is doing it in his email to former Obama CIA Director John Brennan too. https://t.co/miY4J3MChx
— Jerry Dunleavy 🇺🇸 (@JerryDunleavy) May 4, 2023
Morell previously admitted under oath that his involvement in the letter was designed to help Joe Biden "because I wanted him to win the election."
Mark Zaid, an attorney representing Polymeropoulos and several other laptop letter signers (and ex-ABC Senior News producer James Gordon Meek who was indicted on child porn charges, and who bragged about "getting clearances for guys who had child porn issues," and who loves hanging out at Disney World alone), told the media last month that "when the draft was sent out to people to sign, the cover email made clear that it was an effort to help the Biden campaign."
The letter was ultimately signed by 51 ex-intelligence officials, and published October 19, 2020, days before the Trump-Biden debate, and furthered the disinformation that the laptop was the product of Russian disinformation - a narrative which the Biden campaign picked up on and amplified.
"There are 50 former national intelligence folks who said that what he’s accusing me of is a Russian plan. They have said that this has all the characteristics — four, five former heads of the CIA, both parties, say what he’s saying is a bunch of garbage," said Joe Biden during the debate.
To which Trump replied: "You mean the laptop is now another Russia, Russia, Russia hoax?" Joe Biden replied: "That’s exactly what we’re told."
"Here we go again with Russia," Trump replied.
Last month it was revealed Morell told House investigators he had no intention to write the laptop letter, but admitted his phone call with Blinken, then a top advisor for Biden's 2020 campaign, “triggered" him to do so. Morell said it was his “guess” Blinken called him because the future secretary of state wanted it “out” in public that “the Russians were somehow involved.”
House Republicans wrote that the same day of the Blinken-Morell call, Blinken “also emailed Morell an article” published in USA Today which alleged the FBI was examining whether the laptop was part of a Russian “disinformation campaign.” The article was then cited in the laptop letter.
Reps. Jim Jordan (R-OH) and Mike Turner (R-OH) also said Morell received a call from then-Biden campaign chairman Steve Ricchetti after the presidential debate to thank him for "putting the statement out." -Washington Examiner
The October 2020 letter made numerous suggestions as to Russian involvement in the laptop reporting, arguing "if we are right, this is Russia trying to influence how Americans vote in this election" and expressing "our view that the Russians are involved in the Hunter Biden email issue."
According to the letter's authors, the laptop story "has all the classic earmarks of a Russian information operation," and "our experience makes us deeply suspicious that the Russian government played a significant role in this case."
As Dunleavy notes, "Konstantinos "Gus" Dimitrelos, a cyber forensics expert and former Secret Service agent, conducted an examination of the laptop for the Washington Examiner last year, concluding "there is a 100% certainty that Robert Hunter Biden was the only person responsible for the activity on this hard drive and all of its stored data” and that “the hard drive is authentic.”"
