Republican legislators with knowledge of a recent closed-door hearing by House Judiciary Committee, say that Antony Blinken, as a senior campaign staffer for candidate Joe Biden in October 2020, triggered former acting CIA Director Mike Morell, according to Morell’s testimony, to organize the infamous story that the “Hunter Biden laptop is probably Russian disinformation.” Per Blinken’s initiative, Morell organized 51 ex-intelligence officials, led by ex-CIA Director John Brennan, to publicize the claim on Oct. 19, 2020. It was then employed by Biden, in the Oct. 22, 2020 debate, to dismiss the evidence from the laptop of Biden’s involvement in his son’s influence-peddling and bribes. (https://www.politico.com/f/?id=00000175-4393-d7aa-af77-579f9b330000)
After the New York Post broke the story exposing Hunter Biden on Oct. 14, 2020, Blinken contacted Morell, first seeking his thoughts on the story. On Oct, 17, 2020, Blinken emailed Morell a USA Today article alleging the FBI was investigating whether the Post story was part of a Russian disinformation campaign. Morell said that discussions with Blinken prompted him to organize the open letter, saying the Post story had “all the classic earmarks of a Russian information operation.” Morell testified that he had no plans to organize such a letter prior to the call with Blinken but wanted to “help Vice President Biden … because I wanted him to win the election.”
An April 20, 2023, five-page joint letter from the chairs of the House Judiciary and Intelligence Committees to Blinken explains that we “have learned that you played a role in the inception of this statement” and it calls upon him to “provide the following information and records in your personal possession: 1. Identify all people with whom you communicated about the inception, drafting, editing, signing, publishing, or promotion” of the 51 former intelligence officials public statement, and “2. Produce all documents and communications referring or relating” to it. A deadline of May 4 is given.
