House Republicans are focusing on the possible role of Secretary of State Antony Blinken in repressing information about the laptop of Hunter Biden in 2020. Blinken allegedly played a role in drafting a letter signed by former intelligence officers discounting the credibility of the New York Post’s article on the laptop in the runup to the 2020 election.
Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH), Chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, and Rep. Michael Turner (R-OH), Chairman of the House Intelligence Committee wrote a joint letter to Blinken requesting information about Blinken’s role in drafting the letter.
They cited an earlier April letter requesting “your voluntary cooperation with our oversight by providing documents and information regarding the infamous public statement signed by 51 former intelligence officials.”
Blinken’s attorney responded on May 4, refusing to cooperate with the probe.
“Accordingly, the Committees’ requests as outlined” in the earlier letter remain “outstanding,” the representatives wrote.
Jordan and Turner requested Blinken’s cooperation “as soon as possible,” but no later than Jun. 26.
The two chairs’ letter contradicts earlier testimony from former Acting CIA Director Michael Morell. According to Jordan and Turner, former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper claimed that former CIA Director John Brennan told him that Blinken contacted Morell “about putting together a public statement.”
The letter read in part that it was “clear that your outreach to Mr. Morell resulted in the drafting and issuance of the public statement, which had the goal of giving the Biden campaign a ‘talking point to push back on [former President Donald Trump] Trump’ during the final presidential campaign.”
The letter described the laptop as potential Russian disinformation. The statement by the former officials played a significant role in the Post’s story being repressed on social media. The newspaper’s Twitter account was suspended, which new owner Elon Musk described as “obviously incredibly inappropriate.”
The story and its findings were also heavily discounted by legacy media.
Biden would narrowly carry several states to win the 2020 election, which may have been impacted by the article’s suppression.
Blinken also faced recent pressure from Rep. Michael McCaul (R-TX) over documents related to the 2021 withdrawal from Afghanistan.
McCaul is pressuring Blinken for unredacted documents related to the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan, threatening a subpoena if the requested materials aren’t provided by next week. https://t.co/T7Rk4RrIeU
— The Hill (@thehill) June 9, 2023
