Hunter Biden’s attorneys admitted that the data from his laptop was real in a letter sent Wednesday, despite White House and media assurances to the contrary.
Biden attorney Abbe D. Lowell wrote a letter to the Justice Department’s National Security Division requesting an investigation into individuals who accessed Biden’s “personal computer data,” such as Delaware repairman John Paul Mac Isaac. (RELATED: Hunter Biden’s Lawyers Admit That His ‘Computer Data’ Is Real)
NEW: In a letter demanding probes of the dissemination of Hunter Biden’s files, his lawyer appears to admit the underlying data is real, but also casts doubt on the origin story, noting it “supposedly originated from a computer left at [John Paul Mac Isaac’s] repair shop in Del.” pic.twitter.com/umLjrWpAok
— Kenneth P. Vogel (@kenvogel) February 1, 2023
“Mr. Mac Isaac has admitted to gaining access to our client’s personal computer data without Mr. Biden’s consent. Mr. Mac Isaac has admitted to copying that data without Mr. Biden’s consent, and Mr. Mac Isaac has admitted to distributing copies of that data to the political enemies of Mr. Biden’s father, without Mr. Biden’s consent,” the letter alleges. “These unlawful actions caused the widespread publication, manipulation, and exploitation of Mr. Biden’s most personal information.” Lowell did not acknowledge that the actual laptop belonged to Biden.
Mac Isaac has provided paperwork showing that Biden left the laptop at his repair shop and signed over custody in April 2019. He alerted authorities to Biden’s laptop in October 2019 and later delivered a hard drive to Rudy Guiliani, who sent a copy to the New York Post.
“Backing up Mr. Biden’s files for any repair did not require Mr. Mac Isaac to review the contents of any such files. Mr. Biden did not consent to Mr. Mac Isaac gaining access to the content of those files in April 2019 or at any other time,” the letter continues.
The Daily Caller News Foundation verified the contents of Biden’s laptop two weeks after Twitter censored the Post’s reporting on the laptop in Oct. 2020. Other media outlets, including The New York Times, the Washington Post and CBS News, have since verified the contents of Biden’s laptop.
As a presidential candidate, Joe Biden said during a debate with then-President Donald Trump that the laptop was “a Russian plant.” His comments were based on an Oct. 2020 letter signed by dozens of former intelligence officials, who dismissed the laptop as “a Russian information operation” without having reviewed it. None of the former officials have apologized for signing the letter, nor have they retracted it in light of new information.
The intelligence officials’ claims were widely regurgitated by the media and led to numerous outlets dismissing the story entirely. National Public Radio (NPR) said it was “a waste of time,” and former CNN Host Brian Stelter suggested that the whole scandal had been “manufactured” by right wing media. When Trump mentioned the laptop during a “60 Minutes” interview, CBS Host Leslie Stahl said its veracity “can’t be verified.”
Washington Post opinion columnist Max Boot dismissed the laptop as “false” and “possibly part of a Russian disinformation campaign,” and his colleague David Ignatius called it a “non-scandal.” (RELATED: Disgraced Ex-FBI Official Says Computer Repairman Could Face Criminal Charges Over Hunter Biden’s Laptop)
The New York Times described the laptop story as “unsubstantiated” in 2021, a claim the outlet quietly deleted following widespread pushback. MSNBC Host Joe Scarbrough said the laptop was “false” and “so obviously” Russian disinformation, and his co-host Mika Brzezinski speculated the emails could be “linked to a foreign intelligence operation.”
MSNBC host Nicolle Wallace told viewers, “We shouldn’t look at it as anything other than a Russian disinformation operation.” Her colleague Stephanie Ruhle used the phrase “so-called story” in response to the New York Post’s reporting on the laptop.
Former White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki amplified the intelligence community letter on Twitter and labeled the laptop story “Russian disinfo” shortly before the Biden administration hired her.
Hunter Biden story is Russian disinfo, dozens of former intel officials say https://t.co/zRdHxTxVsl
— Jen Psaki (@jrpsaki) October 20, 2020
After the New York Times verified the laptop in March 2022, Psaki delegated authority to “the Department of Justice and also to Hunter Biden’s representatives” to determine its authenticity. On March 31, the White House declared that it would “absolutely stand by the president’s comment” about his son’s laptop.
White House Deputy Press Secretary Andrew Bates said on April 6 that “we don’t comment on the laptop.” in response to a Fox News inquiry. The White House declined to comment on Thursday about the letters from Hunter Biden’s legal team.