House committee: Blinken got the ball rolling on Hunter Biden 'intel' letter; Biden campaign weighed in on press strategy

The House Select Subcommittee on the Weaponization of the Federal Government has revealed some damning insights into how the Biden campaign coordinated the manufacture and dissemination of the notorious Hunter Biden "intel" letter that impacted the 2020 election.

It appears as though then-senior Biden campaign adviser and now-Secretary of State Antony Blinken got the ball rolling on the bogus letter that sought to discredit the New York Post. Additionally, it is clear the Biden campaign handpicked liberal outlets to parade their handiwork in, just ahead of a critical presidential debate.

Blinken kicks off Biden disinformation campaign

Just as Blinken was destined for a big position in Biden's administration in the event that the Hunter Biden story was rendered toothless, Morell was reportedly under consideration to be appointed Biden's CIA director.

Morell testified that after and as a result of this exchange with Biden's future secretary of state, he began drafting the letter with the aim to get it out before the Oct. 22 presidential debate, in which Biden used the statement to great effect.

Bad intelligence

The committee indicated that Morell testified that he did not speak to anyone about potential Russian involvement with the laptop, but "rather researched the issue himself following his conversation with [then-Biden campaign adviser Antony] Blinken."

In an Oct. 18, 2020, email requesting signatures, Morell wrote that he had drafted the letter "because we believe the Russians were involved in some way in the Hunter Biden email issue and because we think Trump will attack Biden on the issue at this week's debate and we want to give the VP a talking point to use in response."

Morell told Shapiro what to say on and off the record with reporters.

"On the record from you: What is this? A large group of former career intelligence officers, many specializing in Russia, joined by a group of former IC leaders, all saying that the Russians were somehow involved here," Morell told Shapiro. "The IC leaders who have signed here are diverse in that they worked for the past four Presidents, including Trump. The real power here is the number of former, working-level IC officers who want the American people to know."

Morell further instructed Shapiro to volunteer the following details off the record: "Make sure sure reporters know that we are not making a call on whether the materials are true or not, just that Moscow played a role in getting the information out."

Unearthed emails show that Morell stressed that the Biden campaign preferred that the Washington Post first run the story.

According to the committee, "Morell apprised Shapiro that, '[b]etween us, the campaign would like' a specific reporter with the Washington Post to run the statement first."

After packaging the intended narrative in email form for the media to disseminate, Shapiro ran the content by the Biden campaign, ostensibly for its approval.

Despite its preference that the "Democracy dies in darkness" crew at the Washington Post advance the narrative, the Biden campaign also saw fit to have the letter passed to the Associated Press with its preferred framing.

When neither liberal outlet ran the story right away, Natasha Bertrand at Politico did so dutifully, with an Oct. 19, 2020, piece entitled, "Hunter Biden story is Russian disinfo, dozens of former intel officials say."

While parroting the suggestions made in the letter, Bertrand also advanced claims by Biden's top advisers in the piece, including their rebukes of credible accusations concerning the Bidens' business dealings in Ukraine and elsewhere.

Bertrand appears to have been rewarded with a CNN gig not long thereafter.

Payoff

Then-candidate Joe Biden exploited both the Politico report and the letter, referencing them in the final presidential debate with former President Donald Trump, saying, "Look, 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. Nobody believes it except him and his good friend Rudy Giuliani."

The Blinken-triggered letter came in handy on at least one other occasion.

Biden cited the discredited letter on "60 Minutes," where he said, "From what I’ve read and know, the intelligence community warned the president that Giuliani was being fed disinformation from the Russians. And we also know that Putin is trying very hard to spread disinformation about Joe Biden. And so when you put the combination of Russia, Giuliani, and the president together, you assess what it is. It’s a smear campaign because he has nothing he wants to talk about in his — what is he running on? What is he running on?"

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